{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_15011/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_15011","id":"gutenberg_15011","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15011","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Religion/Spirituality","Holy Spirit"],"text":"Produced by Bob Jones, Frank van Drogen, Thomas Hutchinson and the\nPG Online Distributed Proofreading Team.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE SPIRIT AND THE WORD\n\n\n_A Treatise on the Holy Spirit in the Light\nof a Rational Interpretation of\nthe Word of Truth_\n\n\n\n_By Z. T. SWEENEY_\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGOSPEL ADVOCATE COMPANY\nNashville, Tennessee\n\n\n\nTABLE OF CONTENTS\n\n                                                                    PAGE\nINTRODUCTION      5\n\nI\nTHE SPIRIT AND THE OLD TESTAMENT      9\n\nII\nTHE SPIRIT AND THE NEW TESTAMENT      15\n\nIII\nTHE PERSONALITY AND DIVINITY OF THE\nSPIRIT      35\n\nIV\nTHE SPIRIT AND JOHN THE BAPTIST      43\n\nV\nTHE SPIRIT AND JESUS      53\n\nVI\nTHE SPIRIT AND THE APOSTLES      65\n\nVII\nTHE SPIRIT AND THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH      81\n\nVIII\nTHE SPIRIT AND THE WORLD      98\n\nIX\nTHE SPIRIT AND CHRISTIANS       117\n\nX\nTHE PARTING WORD      141\n\n\n\n\nINTRODUCTION\n\n\nChristianity is differentiated from all the other religions by the fact\nthat it offers its followers a spiritual dynamic in living up to its\nprecepts. That dynamic is the Holy Spirit, that sets the word of God on\nfire, warms the church from coldness to enthusiasm, and strengthens the\nChristian with a power not his own in the great battle between the flesh\nand the spirit.\n\nChristianity is unique in making this offer. No other religion has any\nequivalent for it. The Holy Spirit is not obtained from the deductions\nof logic, the conclusions of philosophy nor from the investigations of\nscience. All these are as silent as the grave regarding his presence and\npotency.\n\nIt is solely and distinctly a matter of divine revelation. It is not my\npurpose, therefore, to view this subject in the light of philosophic\ninduction, logical deduction nor scientific investigation, but solely in\nthe light of God's revelation. I shall gather the teaching of God's word\naround several important phases of the nature, mission and work of the\nSpirit. I do not speculate upon what God may do through his Spirit; I\nput no limit upon the power of the Spirit. He may work in a thousand\nways, for aught I know. I am treating solely of that work of the Spirit\nwhich God has made plain in his revealed word.\n\nFor the sake of simplifying the treatment of the subject, I shall use\nthe words \"Spirit\" and \"Holy Spirit\" instead of other terms used in the\nScriptures. The Old Testament has eighty-eight distinct references to\nthe Holy Spirit. In these references there are eighteen names applied.\nThe New Testament refers to the Spirit two hundred and sixty-four times\nand uses thirty-nine names. Five names are common to both Testaments,\nwhich leaves fifty-two different appellatives for the Spirit. Seventeen\nappellatives express his relation to God, five his relation to the Son,\nfive indicate his divine nature, seven describe his own character, while\nseventeen are used to indicate his relation to man. He is called the\nHoly Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of\nJesus, the Spirit of his Son, of the Lord, of Truth, of Grace, of\nHoliness, of Glory, and of Adoption. He is called the Comforter, but\nthis term never denotes his relation to man in general. It always\ndescribes a special relation to the apostles and their work.\n\nI wish my readers to bring to the perusal of this work the same spirit\nof earnestness that I shall put into the task of producing it. We read\nin the language of Jesus that \"every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven\nunto men; but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven\"\n(Matt. 12:31). \"And every one who shall speak a word against the Son of\nman, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the\nHoly Spirit it shall not be forgiven\" (Luke 12:10).\n\nWhatever else these terrible warnings may teach, they undoubtedly teach\nthat the greatest care should be taken by those who venture to discuss\nthis subject or investigate such discussion. Let both writer and reader\ntherefore cast aside any flippancy of spirit, also any preconceptions or\nprejudices, and say like young Samuel of old: \"Speak, Lord; thy servant\nheareth.\"\n\nThe subject may be made plain or simple according to the manner we may\ntreat it. If we view it in the light of psychological manifestation in\nour own hearts, or in the lives of those around us, which are ascribed\nto the Spirit, we shall find ourselves wandering in a maze of mystery.\nIf we follow the word of God, which is the only source of knowledge, we\nshall find ourselves walking in a light that shall grow brighter as we\nproceed. It is impossible in a book the size of this to treat all the\nmany passages that refer to the Holy Spirit, but we shall give those\nthat have important bearing upon the subject.\n\n\n\n\nI\n\nTHE SPIRIT AND THE OLD TESTAMENT\n\n\nThe Old Testament does not give the same prominence to the Holy Spirit\nas does the New Testament. This is doubtless true because the Old\nTestament deals largely with material things, while the New Testament is\nprimarily and essentially dealing with the spiritual nature and actions\nof man. It is, however, referred to in more than half of the books of\nthe Old Testament, while in sixteen of them there is no specific mention\nof the Spirit. It is, however, mentioned specifically eighty-eight times\nin the Old Testament. It is generally spoken of as the Spirit of God.\nThe New Testament refers to these passages in such a way as to identify\nthe Holy Spirit of the New with the Spirit of God of the Old. In Luke\n4:18 Jesus says:\n\n    \"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,\n     Because he anointed me to preach good\n        tidings to the poor:\n     He hath sent me to proclaim release to\n        the captives,\n        And recovering of sight to the blind.\n     To set at liberty them that are bruised,\n     To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.\"\n\nThis is directly connected with the \"Spirit of the Lord Jehovah\" in Isa.\n61: 1, 2.\n\nIn the second chapter of Acts we have a direct connection with Joel 2.\nThese are two of many such connections that bind together and identify\nthe Spirit of the Lord of the Old Testament with the Holy Spirit of the\nNew. In both Testaments we find God working by his Spirit. The Old\nTestament gives three lines of work performed by the Spirit:\n\n1. HIS RELATION TO THE MATERIAL UNIVERSE.\n\n(1) In Gen. 1:2 we are told: \"And the Spirit of God moved on the face of\nthe waters.\" The word \"moved\" carries the sense of \"hovered\" or\n\"brooded.\" The previous condition of the world was \"waste and void,\" or\na \"formless waste.\" In some way the Spirit of God fashioned this\nformless waste into the multiplicity of contrasts that followed. It\nbound together those elements that were homogeneous, and separated the\nheterogeneous and so prepared the way for the dividing the light from\nthe darkness that followed. The mode of the operation we do not know,\nbut the fact of the operation is clearly revealed.\n\n(2) \"By his Spirit the heavens are garnished\" (Job 26:13). The\nexpression could be better translated, \"The heavens are made fair,\" or\nbeautiful. That is, he set the constellations in their order. He gives\none illustration when he says: \"His hand hath pierced the swift\nserpent.\" Reference is here made to the beautiful constellation of\n\"Serpens,\" or Draco, of graceful and striking appearance.\n\n(3) God's Spirit made me man; 'twas the Almighty's breath that gave me\nlife. This higher life that was given to man by an inbreathing of the\nSpirit distinguishes man (_homo_) from all other animal species.\n\n2. THE RELATION OF THE SPIRIT TO CREATED MAN.\n\n(1) Gen. 6:3. God tells Noah: \"My Spirit shall not strive with man for\never, for that he also is flesh: yet shall his days be a hundred and\ntwenty years.\" Here the work of the Spirit passes from the form of\nomnipotence to one of pleading or striving. The Spirit no more impresses\nhis will upon the material universe, but expresses (rolls it out) to a\nrational creature. By the preaching of the faithful Noah the Spirit\nplead with the antediluvians to do right and escape the destruction that\nwas coming upon a corrupt and wicked world. From this time onward the\nSpirit comes on men in various ways, qualifying them with supernatural\npower for the performance of special duties. (See Num. 11:25; Judg.\n3:10; 1 Sam. 18:10; 10:11.)\n\n(2) But we find no case of the Spirit falling on man to cleanse him from\nsin, or to confer upon him a special blessing. Later on in the prophets\nthe Spirit becomes a revealing and inspiring Spirit. (See Isa. 61:1;\nEzek. 2:2; Zech. 7:12; 4:6.) As a result of this revealing power, we\nhave the great facts of the New Testament set forth in detail. The life,\nnature, character and mission of the world's Redeemer stand forth in\nbeauty and symmetry.\n\n3. THE RELATION OF THE SPIRIT TO THE INDIVIDUAL MAN.\n\nThe idea of holiness is not usually associated with the Spirit in the\nOld Testament. The term \"Holy Spirit\" occurs but three times in it.\nDavid prays (Ps. 51:11): \"Take not thy holy Spirit from me.\" Isaiah says\n(63:10): \"They rebelled and grieved his holy Spirit;\" and again (63:11)\nhe asks: \"Where is he that put his holy Spirit in the midst of them?\" It\nis, however, called \"good Spirit\" twice (Neh. 9:20; Ps. 143:10).\n\nIt is mainly in reference to Messianic days that we find this ethical\nand personal relation to the Spirit of God.\n\nThese three relations of the Spirit are in perfect harmony with God's\nlaw of progressive development in the world. We find him at first\nworking upon a chaotic material universe; second, upon society, and,\nthird, upon the individual character.\n\nThe work of the Spirit upon the material universe makes it a fit\ndwelling-place for man. His work upon society makes man fit to dwell in\nthe universe, and his work upon the individual character makes man fit\nfor a righteous and holy fellowship with similar characters.\n\n\n\n\nII\n\nTHE SPIRIT AND THE NEW TESTAMENT\n\n\nThere are two hundred and sixty-four references to the Spirit in the New\nTestament. But in many of them there is no allusion to the Holy Spirit.\nIn many places the expressions \"the Spirit,\" and \"the Holy Spirit,\"\nshould be rendered \"Spirit\" and \"holy Spirit,\" or frequently \"a holy\nSpirit.\" The passages in this chapter are arranged in two columns:\nColumn I contains the passages in which the definite article is to be\nfound in the Greek. These should always be translated \"the Holy Spirit.\"\nColumn 2 contains the passages where the definite article is not found\nand which may be often--but not always--translated \"a holy Spirit.\" The\nuse of the article is often governed by other parts of speech. Where the\nSpirit sustains a universal relation to mankind, the word is italicized.\n\n\nMATTHEW\n\n3:16. He saw the Spirit of God       1:18. She was found with child of\ndescending as a dove, and coming     the Holy Spirit.\nupon him.\n                                     1:20. That which is conceived in\n4: 1. Then was Jesus led up of the   her is of the Holy Spirit.\nSpirit into the wilderness to be\ntempted of the devil.                3:11. He shall baptize you in the\n                                     Holy Spirit, and in fire.\n10:20. For it is not ye that\nspeak, but the Spirit of your        12:28. If I by the Spirit of God\nFather that speaketh in you.         cast out demons.\n\n12:18. I will put my Spirit upon     22:43. How then doth David in the\nhim.                                 Spirit call him Lord.\n\n12:31. The blasphemy against the\nSpirit shall not be forgiven.\n\n12:32. Whosoever shall speak\nagainst the Holy Spirit, it shall\nnot be forgiven him.\n\n28:19. Baptizing them into the\nname of the Father and of the Son\nand of the Holy Spirit.\n\n\nMARK\n\n1:10. Coming up out of the water,\nhe saw ... the Spirit as a\ndove descending upon him.\n\n1:8 He shall baptize you in the\nHoly Spirit dove descending upon\nhim.\n\n1:12. Straightway the Spirit\ndriveth him forth into the\nwilderness.\n\n3:29. Whosoever shall blaspheme\nagainst the Holy Spirit hath never\nforgiveness.\n\n12:36. David himself said in the\nHoly Spirit.\n\n13:11. It is not ye that speak,\nbut the Holy Spirit.\n\n\nLUKE\n\n2:26. It had been revealed unto      3:16. He shall baptize you in\nhim by the Holy Spirit.              [the] Holy Spirit and in fire.\n\n2:27. He came in the Spirit into     4:18. The Spirit of the Lord is\nthe temple.                          upon me.\n\n3:22. The Holy Spirit descended in   10:21. He rejoiced in [the] Holy\na bodily form, as a dove, upon       _Spirit_.\nhim.\n                                     11:13. How much more shall your\n4:1. Jesus ... was led in the        heavenly Father give [the] _Holy\nSpirit in the wilderness.            Spirit_ to them that ask him?\n\n4:14. Jesus returned in the power    1:15. He shall be filled with\nof the Spirit into Galilee.          [the] Holy Spirit.\n\n4:1. Jesus, full of the Holy         1:35. [The] Holy Spirit shall come\nSpirit, returned from the Jordan.    upon thee.\n\n12:10. Unto him that blasphemeth     1:41. Elisabeth was filled with\nagainst the Holy Spirit it shall     [the] Holy Spirit.\nnot be forgiven.\n                                     1:67. Zacharias was filled with\n12:12. The Holy Spirit shall teach   [the] Holy Spirit.\nyou in that very hour what ye\nought to say.                        2:25. There was a man in\n                                     Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon;\n24:49. Behold, I send forth the      ... [the] Holy Spirit was upon\npromise of my Father upon you.       him.\n\n\nJOHN.\n\n1:32. I have beheld the Spirit       1:33. The same is he that\ndescending as a dove out of          baptizeth in the Holy Spirit.\nheaven; and it abode upon him.\n                                     3:5. Except one be born of water\n1:33. Upon whomsoever thou shalt     and [the] _Spirit_.\nsee the Spirit descending, and\nabiding upon him.                    7:39. [The] Spirit was not yet\n                                     given.\n3:6. That which is born of the\nSpirit is spirit.                    20:22. He breathed on them, and\n                                     saith unto them, Receive ye [the]\n3:8. So is every one that is born    Holy Spirit.\nof the Spirit.\n\n3:34. He giveth not the Spirit by\nmeasure.\n\n6:63. It is the spirit that giveth\nlife.\n\n7: 39. This spake he of the\nSpirit, which they that believed\non him were to receive.\n\n14:16. He shall give you another\nComforter.\n\n14:17. Even the Spirit of truth.\n\n14:26. The Comforter, even the\nHoly Spirit, ...  he shall teach\nyou.\n\n15: 26. When the Comforter is\ncome, ... even the Spirit of truth,\n... he shall bear witness of me.\n\n16:7. If I go not away, the\nComforter will not come unto you.\n\n16:8. He, when he is come, will\nconvict the world in respect of\nsin, and of righteousness, and of\njudgment.\n\n16:9. Of sin, because they believe\nnot on me;\n\n16:10. Of righteousness, because I\ngo to the Father;\n\n16:11. Of judgment, because the\nprince of this world hath been\njudged.\n\n16:13. When he, the Spirit of\ntruth, is come, he shall guide you\ninto all the truth: for he shall\nnot speak from himself; but what\nthings soever he shall hear, these\nshall he speak: and he shall\ndeclare unto you the things that\nare to come.\n\n16:14. He shall glorify me: for he\nshall take of mine, and shall\ndeclare it unto you.\n\n16:15. He taketh of mine, and\nshall declare it unto you.\n\n\nACTS\n\n1:4. He charged them ...  to wait    1:2. He had given commandment\nfor the promise of the Father.       through [the] Holy Spirit unto the\n                                     apostles.\n1:8. Ye shall receive power, when\nthe Holy Spirit is come upon you.    1:5. John indeed baptized with\n                                     water; but ye shall be baptized in\n1:16. The scripture should be        [the] Holy Spirit.\nfulfilled, which the Holy Spirit\nspake before by the mouth of David   2:4. They were all filled with the\nconcerning Judas.                    Holy Spirit, and began to speak\n                                     with other tongues, as [the]\n2:17. I will pour forth of my        Spirit gave them utterances.\nSpirit upon all flesh:\n4:8. Peter, filled with [the] Holy\n2:18. On my servants and on my       Spirit, said unto them.\nhandmaidens in those days will I\npour forth my Spirit.                6: 3. Look ye out ...  seven men\n                                     ...  full of [the] _Spirit_.\n2:33. Having received of the\nFather the promise of the Holy       6:5. Stephen, a man full of ...\nSpirit, he hath poured forth this.   the Holy _Spirit_.\n\n2:38. Ye shall receive the gift of   7:55. He, being full of [the] Holy\nthe Holy Spirit.                     _Spirit_.\n\n4:25. Who by the Holy Spirit, by     8:15. Who ... prayed for them,\nthe mouth of our father David, ...   that they might receive [the] Holy\ndidst say.                           Spirit.\n\n4:31. They were all filled with      8:16. For as yet it was fallen\nthe Holy Spirit, and they spake      upon none of them.\nthe word of God with boldness.\n                                     8:17. Then laid they their hands\n5:3. Why hath Satan filled thy       on them, and they received [the]\nheart to lie to the Holy Spirit.     Holy Spirit.\n\n5:9. How is it that ye have agreed   8:19. Give me also this power,\ntogether to try the Spirit of the    that on whomsoever I lay my hands,\nLord?                                he may receive [the] Holy Spirit.\n\n5:32. We are witnesses of these      8:39. [The] Spirit of the Lord\nthings; and so is the Holy Spirit.   caught away Philip.\n\n6:10. They were not able to          9:17. Jesus ... hath sent me, that\nwithstand ...  the Spirit by which   thou mayest ... be filled with\nhe spake.                            [the] Holy Spirit.\n\n7:51. Ye do always resist the Holy   10: 38. God anointed him with\nSpirit.                              [the] Holy Spirit and with power.\n\n8:18. When Simon saw that through    11:16. Ye shall be baptized in\nthe laying on of the apostles'       [the] Holy Spirit.\nhands the Holy Spirit was given,\n                                     11:24. He was a good man, and full\n8:20. Thou hast thought to obtain    of [the] Holy Spirit.\nthe gift of God with money.\n                                     13:9. Paul, filled with [the] Holy\n8:29. The Spirit said unto Philip,   Spirit, fastened his eyes on him.\nGo near, and join thyself to this\nchariot.                             13:52. The disciples were filled\n                                     with joy and with [the] Holy\n9:31. The church ...  walking ...    Spirit.\nin the comfort of the Holy Spirit,\nwas multiplied.                      19:2. Did ye receive [the] Holy\n                                     Spirit when ye believed?...  We\n10:19. The Spirit said unto him,     did not so much as hear whether\nBehold, three men seek thee.         [the] Holy Spirit was given.\n\n10: 20. Go with them....  I have\nsent them.\n\n10: 44. The Holy Spirit fell on\nall them that heard the word.\n\n10: 45. On the Gentiles also was\npoured out the gift of the Holy\nSpirit.\n\n10:47. Who have received the Holy\nSpirit as well as we?\n\n11:12. The Spirit bade me go with\nthem.\n\n11:25. As I began to speak, the\nHoly Spirit fell on them.\n\n11:28. Agabus ... signified by the\nSpirit that there should be a\ngreat famine over all the world.\n\n13:2. The Holy Spirit said,\nSeparate me Barnabas and Saul.\n\n13:4. They, being sent forth by\nthe Holy Spirit.\n\n15:8. God ... bare them witness,\ngiving them the Holy Spirit.\n\n15:28. It seemed good to the Holy\nSpirit, and to us.\n\n16:6. Forbidden of the Holy\nSpirit, to speak the word in Asia.\n\n16:7. The Spirit of Jesus suffered\nthem not.\n\n19:6. When Paul had laid his hands\nupon them, the Holy Spirit came on\nthem.\n\n20: 22. I go bound in the spirit\nunto Jerusalem.\n\n20: 28. Take heed ... to all the\nflock, in which the Holy Spirit\nhath made you bishops.\n\n21: 4. These said to Paul through\nthe Spirit, that he should not set\nfoot in Jerusalem.\n\n21.11. Thus saith the Holy\nSpirit, So shall the Jews at\nJerusalem bind the man that owneth\nthis girdle.\n\n28: 25. Well spake the Holy Spirit\nthrough Isaiah the prophet.\n\n\nROMANS\n\n8:2. The law of the _Spirit_         1:4. Who was declared to be the\nof life in Christ Jesus made me      Son of God with power, according\nfree from the law of sin and of      to [the] spirit of holiness.\ndeath.\n                                     5:5. The love of God hath been\n8: 10. The spirit is life because    shed abroad in our hearts through\nof righteousness.                    [the] Holy _Spirit_.\n\n8: 11. If the Spirit of him that     8:4. The ordinance of the law\nraised up Jesus from the dead        might be fulfilled in us, who walk\ndwelleth in you, he ...  shall       ... after [the] _Spirit_.\ngive life also to your mortal\nbodies through his Spirit.           8:5. They that are after [the]\n                                     _Spirit_ the things of [the]\n8:16. The _Spirit_ himself           _Spirit_.\nbeareth witness with our spirit.\n                                     8:9. Ye are ... in the\n8:23. Who have the first-fruits of   _Spirit_, if ... [the] Spirit\nthe Spirit.                          of God dwelleth in you.  But if\n                                     any man hath not the _Spirit_\n8:20. The Spirit also helpeth our    of Christ, he is none of his.\ninfirmity: ... the Spirit himself\nmaketh intercession for us.          8:13. If by [the] _Spirit_ ye\n                                     put to death the deeds of the\n8:27. He ... knoweth what is the     body, ye shall live.\nmind of the Spirit.\n                                     8:14. As many as are led by [the]\n9:1. I say the truth ...  my         _Spirit_ of God, these are\nconscience bearing witness with me   the sons of God.\nin the Holy Spirit.\n                                     8:15. Ye received [the]\n15:30. I beseech you ...  by the     _spirit_ of adoption.\nlove of the Spirit.\n                                     14:17. The kingdom of God is ...\n                                     righteousness and peace and joy in\n                                     [the] Holy _Spirit_.\n\n                                     15:13. That ye may abound in hope,\n                                     in the power of [the] Holy\n                                     _Spirit_.\n\n                                     15:16. The offering up of the\n                                     Gentiles might be made acceptable,\n                                     being sanctified by [the] Holy\n                                     Spirit.\n\n                                     15:19. In the power of [the] Holy\n                                     Spirit.\n\n\n1 CORINTHIANS\n\n2:10. God revealed them             2:4. My speech and my preaching\nthrough the Spirit; for the         were ...  in demonstration of\nSpirit searcheth all                [the] Spirit.\nthings.\n                                    2:13 In words ...  which [the]\n2:11. The things of God none        Spirit teacheth.\nknoweth, save the Spirit of\nGod.                                7:40 I think that I also have\n                                    [the] spirit of God.\n2:12. But we received ... the\nspirit which is from God.           12:3 No man speaking in the Spirit\n                                    of God saith, Jesus is anathema;\n2:14. The natural man               and no man can say, Jesus is Lord,\nreceiveth not the things of         but in [the] Holy Spirit.\nthe Spirit of God.\n                                    14:2 In [the] Spirit he speaketh\n3:16. Know ye not ... that          mysteries.\nthe Spirit of God dwelleth in\nyou?\n\n6:11. Ye were justified ... in\nthe Spirit of our God.\n\n6:19. Your body is a temple of the\nHoly Spirit.\n\n12:4. There are diversities of\ngifts, but the same Spirit.\n\n12:7. To each one is given the\nmanifestation of the Spirit to\nprofit withal.\n\n12:8. To one is given through the\nSpirit the word of wisdom; and to\nanother the word of knowledge,\naccording to the same Spirit.\n\n12:9. To another faith, in the\nsame Spirit; and to another gifts\nof healings, in the one Spirit.\n\n12:11. All these worketh the one\nand the same Spirit, dividing to\neach one severally even as he\nwill.\n\n\n2 CORINTHIANS\n\n1:22. Who ... gave us the earnest    3:3. Ye are an epistle of Christ,\nof the Spirit in our hearts.         ...  written ... with [the]\n                                     _Spirit_ of the living God.\n3:6. The letter killeth, but the\nspirit giveth life.                  3:18. We all ... are transformed\n                                     into the same image from glory to\n3:8. How shall not rather the        glory, even us from the Lord [the]\nministration of the spirit be with   Spirit.\nglory?\n\n6:6. In kindness, in [the] Holy\n4:13. Having the same spirit of      _Spirit_, in love unfeigned.\nfaith.\n                                     11:4 If ye receive a different\n5:5. Who gave unto us the earnest    _spirit_, which ye did not\nof the Spirit.                       receive.\n\n12:18. Walked we not in the same     6:6. In kindness, in [the] Holy\nSpirit?                              _Spirit_, in love unfeigned.\n                                     If ye receive a different\n13:14. The communion of the Holy     _spirit_, which ye did not\nSpirit, be with you all, from        receive.\nglory to glory, even as from the\nLord [the] Spirit.\n\n\nGALATIANS.\n\n3:2. Received ye the Spirit by the   3:3. Having begun in [the]\nworks of the law, or by the          _Spirit_, are ye now\nhearing of faith?                    perfected in the flesh?\n\n3:5. He ... that supplieth to you    4:29. He that was born after the\nthe Spirit.                          flesh persecuted him that was born\n                                     after [the] _Spirit_.\n3:14. That we might receive the\npromise of the _Spirit_              5:5. We through [the]\nthrough faith.                       _Spirit_ by faith wait for\n                                     the hope of righteousness.\n4:6. God sent forth the\n_Spirit_ of his Son into our         5:16. Walk by [the] Spirit, and ye\nhearts.                              shall not fulfil the lust of the\n                                     flesh.\n5:17. The flesh lusteth against\nthe _Spirit_, and the                5:18. If ye are led by [the]\n_Spirit_ against the flesh.          _Spirit_, ye are not under\n                                     the law.\n5:22. The fruit of the\n_Spirit_ is love, joy, peace.        5:25. If we live by [the]\n                                     _Spirit_, by the\n6:8. He that soweth unto the         _Spirit_ let us also walk.\n_Spirit_ shall of the\n_Spirit_ reap eternal life.\n\nEPHESIANS.\n\n1:13. Ye were sealed with the Holy   1:17. That God ... may give unto\nSpirit of promise.                   you a spirit of wisdom and\n                                     revelation in the knowledge of\n2:18. Through him we both have our   him.\naccess in one Spirit unto the\nFather.                              2:22. In whom ye also are builded\n                                     together for a habitation of God\n3:16. That ye may be strengthened    in [the] _Spirit_.\nwith power through his\n_Spirit_ in the inward man.          3:5. It hath now been revealed\n                                     unto his holy apostles and\n4:3. Keep the unity of the           prophets in [the] Spirit.\n_Spirit_ in the bond of\npeace.                               5:18. Be filled with [the] Spirit.\n\n4:4. There is one body, and one      6:18. Praying at all seasons in\n_Spirit_.                            [the] _Spirit_.\n\n4:30. Grieve not the Holy Spirit\nof God, in whom ye were sealed.\n\n6:17. Take ... the sword of the\nSpirit, which is the word of God.\n\n\nPHILLIPPIANS.\n\n1:19. The supply of the              2:1. If there is ...any fellowship\n_Spirit_ of Jesus Christ.            of [the] _Spirit_.\n\n                                     3:3. We are the circumcision, who\n                                     worship by [the] _Spirit_ of\n                                     God.\n\nCOLOSSIANS.\n\n                                     1:8. Who also declared unto us\n                                     your love in [the] _Spirit_.\n\n\n1 THESSALONIANS.\n\n4:8. God, who giveth his Holy        1:5. Our gospel came not unto you\nSpirit unto you.                     in word only, but ...in the Holy\n                                     Spirit.\n6:19. Quench not the\n_Spirit_.                            1:6. Having received the word\n                                     ...with joy of [the] Holy\n                                     _Spirit_.\n\n\n2 THESSALONIANS.\n\n                                     2:13. God chose you ...in\n                                     sanctification of [the]\n                                     _Spirit_.\n\n\n1 TIMOTHY.\n\n4:1. The Spirit saith expressly,     3:16. He who was ... justified in\nthat ... some shall fall away from   [the] spirit.\nthe faith.\n\n4:14. Neglect not the gift that is\nin thee.\n\n2 TIMOTHY.\n\n                                     1:7. God gave us not a spirit of\n                                     fearfulness; but of power and love\n                                     and discipline.\n\n                                     1:14. That good thing ... guard\n                                     through [the] Holy Spirit.\n\n\nTITUS.\n\n                                     3:5. He saved us through the ...\n                                     renewing of [the] Holy\n                                     _Spirit_.\n\n\nHEBREWS.\n\n3:7. Wherefore, even as the Holy     2:4. God also bearing witness with\nSpirit saith, To-day if ye will      them, ... by gifts of [the] Holy\nhear his voice.                      Spirit.\n\n4:3. Even as he hath said.           6:4. Were made partakers of [the]\n                                     Holy Spirit.\n4:7. He again defineth a certain\nday.                                 9:14. Who through [the] eternal\n                                     Spirit offered himself without\n9:8. The Holy Spirit this            blemish unto God.\nsignifying.\n\n10:15. The Holy Spirit also\nbeareth witness to us.\n\n10:29. Hath done despite unto the\n_Spirit_ of grace?\n\n\nJAMES.\n\n4:5. Doth the _Spirit_ which\nhe made to dwell in us long unto\nenvying?\n\n1 PETER\n\n1:11. Searching what time ... the    1:2. In sanctification of [the]\nSpirit of Christ ... did point       _Spirit_.\nunto.\n                                     1:12. Preached the gospel unto you\n3:18. Put to death in the flesh,     in [the] Holy Spirit.\nbut made alive in the spirit.\n                                     4:6. Live according to God in\n4:14. The Spirit of glory and the    [the] spirit.\nSpirit of God resteth upon you.\n\n\n2 PETER\n\n                                     1:21. Men spake from God, being\n                                     moved by [the] Holy Spirit.\n\n\n1 JOHN\n\n2:20. Ye have an anointing from\nthe Holy One.\n\n2:27. The anointing which ye\nreceived of him abideth in you.\n\n3:24. We know that he abideth in\nus by the Spirit which he gave us.\n\n4:2. Hereby know ye the Spirit of\nGod: Every spirit that confesseth\nthat Jesus Christ is come in the\nflesh is of God.\n\n4:6. By this we know the spirit of\ntruth, and the spirit of error.\n\n4:13. He hath given us of his\nSpirit.\n\n5:7. It is the Spirit that beareth\nwitness, because the Spirit is the\ntruth.\n\n5:8. There are three who bear\nwitness, the Spirit, and the\nwater, and the blood.\n\n\nJUDE\n\n                                     19. Having not [the]\n                                     _Spirit_.\n\n                                     20. Praying in [the] Holy\n                                     _Spirit_.\n\n\nREVELATION.\n\n1:4. The seven Spirits that are      1:10. I was in [the] _Spirit_\nbefore his throne.                   on the Lord's day.\n\n2:7. Hear what the Spirit saith to   4:2. Straightway I was in [the]\nthe churches.                        _Spirit._\n\n2:17. Hear what the Spirit saith     11:11. The breath of life from God\nto the churches.                     entered into them.\n\n2:29. Hear what the Spirit saith     17:3. He carried me away in [the]\nto the churches.                     _Spirit_ into a wilderness.\n\n3:1. He that hath the seven          21:10. He carried me away in [the]\nSpirits of God.                      _Spirit_ to a mountain.\n\n3:6. Hear what the Spirit saith to\nthe churches.\n\n3:13. Hear what the Spirit saith\nto the churches.\n\n4:5. Seven lamps of fire ... which\nare the seven Spirits of God.\n\n5:6. Seven eyes, which are the\nseven Spirits of God.\n\n14:13. Yea, saith the Spirit, that\nthey may rest from their labors.\n\n22:17. The Spirit and the bride\nsay, Come,\n\n\n\n\nIII\n\nTHE PERSONALITY AND DIVINITY OF THE SPIRIT\n\n\nTwo views have been entertained concerning the Holy Spirit: (1) That it\nis a divine influence proceeding from the Father, an emanation from or\nmanifestation of the divine, or a mere impersonal force. (2) That he is\na person and active in all the ways of a personality. That the latter\nview is the correct and Scriptural one is evident from the following\nconsiderations:\n\n1. HIS WORKS PROCLAIM PERSONALITY.\n\n(1) _He speaks._ \"But the Spirit saith expressly, that in later times\nsome shall fall away from the faith\" (1 Tim. 4:1). A speaker is a\nperson; no influence or principle can speak.\n\n(2) _He testifies._ \"But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send\nunto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth\nfrom the Father, he shall bear witness of me\" (John 15: 26).\n\n(3) _He teaches and quickens the mind._ \"But the Comforter, even the\nHoly Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you\nall things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said unto you\"\n(John 14:26).\n\n(4) _He guides._ \"I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye can not\nbear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall\nguide you into all the truth\" (John 16: 12, 13).\n\n(5) _He leads and forbids._ \"And they went through the region of Phrygia\nand Galatia, having been forbidden of the Holy Spirit to speak the word\nin Asia; and when they were come over against Mysia, they assayed to go\ninto Bithynia; and the Spirit of Jesus suffered them not\" (Acts 16:6,\n7).\n\n(6) _He searches._ \"But unto us God revealed them through the Spirit:\nfor the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God\" (1\nCor. 2:10).\n\nIn the above passages the Holy Spirit is said to speak, to testify, to\nquicken, to teach, to guide disciples, to lead, to forbid and to search.\nAll these things unite in showing the Holy Spirit to be a person, for\nnothing but a person can do them.\n\n2. HE HAS THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A PERSON.\n\nWe will mention a few of them:\n\n(1) _Mind._ \"And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the _mind\nof the Spirit_\" (Rom. 8:27).\n\n(2) _Knowledge._ \"Even so the things of God none knoweth, save the\nSpirit of God\" (1 Cor. 2:11).\n\n(3) _Affection._ \"Now I beseech you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ,\nand by the _love of the Spirit_, that ye strive together with me in your\nprayers to God for me\" (Rom. 15:30).\n\n(4) _Will._ \"But all these worketh the one and the same Spirit, dividing\nto each one severally even _as he will_\" (1 Cor. 12:11).\n\n(5) _Goodness._ \"Thou gavest also thy _good Spirit_ to instruct them\"\n(Neh. 9:20). Goodness, will, affection, knowledge and mind are all\ncharacteristics of a person. By no stretch of the imagination can they\nbe ascribed to a mere impersonal influence or principle. These five\ncharacteristics form the fingers in the hand of certainty by which we\ngrasp the personality of the Holy Spirit.\n\n3. HE SUFFERS SLIGHTS AND INJURIES THAT CAN ONLY BE ASCRIBED TO A\nPERSONALITY.\n\n(1) _He can be grieved and vexed._ \"And grieve not the Holy Spirit of\nGod, in whom ye were sealed unto the day of redemption\" (Eph. 4:30).\n\"But they rebelled, and grieved his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned\nto be their enemy, and himself fought against them\" (Isa. 63:10).\n\n(2) _He can be despited._ \"Of how much sorer punishment, think ye, shall\nhe be judged worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and\nhath counted the blood of the covenant where-with he was sanctified an\nunholy thing, and hath _done despite_ unto the Spirit of grace\" (Heb.\n10:29).\n\n(3) _He can be blasphemed_. \"Therefore I say unto you, Every sin and\nblasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the\nSpirit shall not be forgiven. And whosoever shall speak a word against\nthe Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever shall speak\nagainst the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this\nworld, nor in that which is to come\" (Matt. 12:31, 32).\n\n(4) _He can be resisted_. \"Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart\nand ears, ye do always resist the Holy Spirit\" (Acts 7:51).\n\n(5) _He can be lied unto_. \"But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan\nfilled thy heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the\nprice of the land?\" (Acts 5:3).\n\nA mere principle can not sustain any of the above slights. Nothing but a\npersonality can be blasphemed, lied to, resisted or grieved.\n\n4. HE IS A DIVINE PERSONALITY. This will be seen from the following\nattributes, which are the attributes of God:\n\n(1) _Eternity_. \"How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through\nthe _eternal_ Spirit offered himself without blemish unto God, cleanse\nyour conscience from dead works to serve the living God?\" (Heb. 9:14).\n\"Jehovah is great in Zion; And he is high above all the peoples\" (Ps.\n99:2).\n\n(2) _Omniscience_. \"But unto us God revealed them through the Spirit:\nfor the Spirit _searcheth all things_, yea, the deep things of God. For\nwho among men knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of the man,\nwhich is in him? even so the things of God none knoweth, save the Spirit\nof God\" (1 Cor. 2:10, 11).\n\n(3) _Omnipotence_. \"But as for me, I am full of power _by the Spirit_ of\nJehovah, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his\ntransgression, and to Israel his sin\" (Mic. 3:8).\n\n(4) _Omnipresence_. \"Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither\nshall I flee from thy presence?... Even there shall thy hand lead me,\nAnd thy right hand shall hold me\" (Ps. 139:7, 10). \"Can any hide himself\nin secret places so that I shall not see him? saith Jehovah. Do not I\nfill heaven and earth? saith Jehovah\" (Jer. 23:24).\n\n5. THE WORKS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT MANIFEST DIVINITY.\n\n(1) The work of _creation_. \"And the earth was waste and void; and\ndarkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon\nthe face of the waters\" (Gen. 1:2). \"By his Spirit the heavens are\ngarnished; his hand hath pierced the swift serpent\" (Job 26:13). \"By the\nword of Jehovah were the heavens made, And all the host of them by the\nbreath of his mouth\" (Ps. 33:6). \"The Spirit of God hath made me, And\nthe breath of the Almighty giveth me life\" (Job 33:4).\n\n(2) The work of _providence_. \"Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are\ncreated; and thou renewest the face of the ground\" (Ps. 104:30).\n\n(3) The work of _regeneration_ and resurrection. \"Jesus answered,\nVerily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born of water and the\nSpirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God\" (John 3:5). \"But if\nthe Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, he\nthat raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life also to your\nmortal bodies through his Spirit that dwelleth in you\" (Rom. 8:11).\n\n(4) He is the source of the _miraculous._ \"But if I by the Spirit of God\ncast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you\" (Matt.\n12:28). \"To another faith, in the same Spirit; and to another gifts of\nhealing, in the one Spirit; ... but all these worketh the one and the\nsame Spirit, dividing to each one severally even as he will\" (1 Cor.\n12:9, 11).\n\nThus in his works, his characteristics, the things he suffers, his\nattributes and his achievements, we have a fivefold cord of testimony\nthat clearly demonstrates the Spirit's personality and divinity.\n\n\n\n\nIV\n\nTHE SPIRIT AND JOHN THE BAPTIST\n\n\nThe first mention of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament is in\nconnection with John the Baptist: \"There was in the days of Herod, king\nof Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abijah: and\nhe had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And\nthey were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and\nordinances of the Lord blameless\" (Luke 1:5, 6).\n\nThis Zacharias was taking his turn in the temple service, and an angel\nappeared unto him and announced that in answer to his prayer his wife\nElisabeth should bear a son whose name should be called John; that he\nshould be great, and should drink no wine nor strong drink, and (Luke\n1:15) \"he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's\nwomb\"; and \"his father Zacharias was _filled with the Holy Spirit_, and\nprophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; for he hath\nvisited and wrought redemption for his people\" (Luke 1:67, 68).\n\nAnd the child John grew and \"waxed strong in spirit, and was in the\ndeserts till the day of his showing unto Israel\" (Luke 1:80). His\nprivate life was spent in the desert solitudes, where he was being\nstrengthened in spirit for the great work God had prepared for him. This\nwork had been foretold by the Holy Spirit. It spake through Isaiah the\nprophet (40:3), saying: \"The voice of one that crieth, Prepare ye in the\nwilderness the way of Jehovah; make level in the desert a highway for\nour God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill\nshall be made low; and the rough places a plain: and the glory of\nJehovah shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.\" Again,\nMalachi (3:1) says: \"Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare\nthe way before me.\"\n\nIn fulfillment of these predictions of the Spirit came John the Baptist\nin the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, preaching the\nbaptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Great multitudes\nflocked to his preaching and baptism. Among others came Jesus of\nNazareth, and \"on the morrow he seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith,\nBehold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world\" (John\n1:29). \"This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man who is become\nbefore me: for he was before me. And I knew him not; but that he should\nbe made manifest to Israel, for this cause came I baptizing in water.\nAnd John bare witness, saying, I have beheld the Spirit descending as a\ndove out of heaven; and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he\nthat sent me to baptize in water, he said unto me, Upon whomsoever thou\nshalt see the Spirit descending, and abiding upon him, the same is he\nthat baptizeth in the Holy Spirit. And I have seen, and have borne\nwitness that this is the Son of God\" (John 1:30-34).\n\nThe next mention of the Holy Spirit by John the Baptist is in reference\nto the baptism in the Holy Spirit and in fire. In order that the reader\nmay have a clear understanding of this disputed and difficult subject, I\nshall present the testimonies of the four Evangelists in parallel\ncolumns [paragraphs]:\n\n\nMATT. 3:10-12.\n\nAnd even now the axe lieth at the root of the trees: every tree\ntherefore that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into\nthe fire. I indeed baptize you in water unto repentance: but he that\nafter me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he\nshall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire: whose fan is in his\nhand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing-floor; and he will\ngather his wheat into the garner, but the chaff he will burn up with\nunquenchable fire.\n\n\nMARK 1:7, 8.\n\nAnd he preached, saying There cometh after me he that is mightier than\nI, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.\nI baptize you in water; but he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit.\n\n\nLUKE 3:9, 16, 17.\n\nAnd even now the axe also lieth at the root of the trees: every tree\ntherefore that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into\nthe fire.... John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you\nin water; but there cometh he that is mightier than I, the latchet of\nwhose shoes I am not worthy to unloose; he shall baptize you in the Holy\nSpirit and in fire: whose fan is in his hand, thoroughly to cleanse his\nthreshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff\nhe will burn up with unquenchable fire.\n\n\nJOHN 1:33.\n\nAnd I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize in water, he said\nunto me, Upon whomsoever thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and\nabiding upon him, the same is he that baptizeth in the Holy Spirit.\n\n\nJohn is preaching to a mixed multitude composed of those who would\naccept his teaching and baptism, and of those who would accept neither.\nMany the former would become disciples of Jesus and receive the baptism\nof the Holy Spirit to qualify them to take up the work of the Master and\ncarry it on until the church would be established and the gospel fully\nrevealed to men. The baptism of the Spirit, a purely supernatural thing,\nwas necessary to qualify them for this work. Others would \"reject for\nthemselves the counsel of God, being not baptized of him.\" These should\nat last \"have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and\nbrimstone.\" That such a division was meant by John becomes evident if we\nexamine the context carefully. In the above parallel columns the reader\nwill observe that Matthew and Luke use the expression \"in the Holy\nSpirit and in fire.\" They both use two illustrations to show what is\nmeant by \"in fire.\" One of the illustrations immediately precedes and\nthe other immediately follows the expression \"in the Holy Spirit and in\nfire,\" seemingly for the specific purpose of guarding against a failure\nto understand the expression \"in fire.\" The illustration that precedes\nin both instances is: \"Therefore every tree that bringeth not forth good\nfruit is hewn down and cast into the fire.\" The illustration that\nfollows in each instance is: \"He will burn up the chaff in unquenchable\nfire.\" With these forcible illustrations to guard the passage, can any\none fail to understand what is meant by the baptism in fire? The reader\nwill also observe that neither Mark nor John refers to the baptism in\nfire, and neither uses any illustration to explain it, because no\nillustration is necessary. Where the baptism of fire is used there was\nalways something destroyed by fire. This interpretation harmonizes with\nthe universal use of the word \"fire\" in the New Testament. (1) _In not a\nsingle instance is it used to denote a spiritual blessing conferred upon\nthe good_. (2) _In not a single instance does it refer to the work of\nthe Holy Spirit in purifying sinners_. It is connected with judgments,\npunishments, fiery indignation, devouring adversaries, consuming, and\neven with hell itself; but in no case does it refer to the power of God\nin the scheme of redemption to convert and save men.\n\nNeither does the baptism of the Holy Spirit refer to cleansing men from\nsin and saving them. _It was not given for that purpose_. This is a\nfoolish dream born out of the castaway doctrine of the total depravity\nof man and his total disability to hear, believe and obey the truth.\nThose who claim the baptism of the Holy Spirit to-day claim that it is\nthe regenerating, converting, purifying power of God. _But the Bible\ndoes not so teach_. In every instance in which the word \"purify\" is\nfound in the New Testament it is an act of personal volition--_something\na man must do for himself._ John 11:55: \"Now the passover of the Jews\nwas at hand: and many went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the\npassover, to purify themselves.\"\n\nActs 21:24: \"These take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges\nfor them, that they may shave their heads; and all shall know that there\nis no truth in the things whereof they have been informed concerning\nthee; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, keeping the law.\"\n\nActs 21:26: \"Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself\nwith them went into the temple, declaring the fulfilment of the days of\npurification, until the offering was offered for every one of them.\"\n\nJas. 4:8: \"Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your\nhands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded.\"\n\n1 Pet. 1:22: \"Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to\nthe truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the\nheart fervently.\"\n\n1 John 3:3: \"And every one that hath this hope set on him purifieth\nhimself, even as he is pure.\"\n\n\"Men must cleanse themselves from wrong in thought, word and deed, and\npurify their souls in obeying the truth. The Bible teaches that this is\nGod's way of purifying sinners\" (_H.R. Pritchard, \"Addresses,\"_ p. 323).\n\nFrom this chapter the reader will obtain the following Scripture facts:\n\n1. The Holy Spirit rested on John the Baptist from his mother's womb.\n\n2. The Holy Spirit filled his father Zacharias so that he prophesied.\n\n3. The Holy Spirit bore witness to Jesus by descending and abiding upon\nhim, enabling John to identify him.\n\n4. John promised a baptism in the Holy Spirit to some of his auditors\nand threatened others with a baptism in fire.\n\n1 Pet. 1:11, 12: \"Searching what time or what manner of time the Spirit\nof Christ which was in them did point unto, when it testified beforehand\nthe sufferings of Christ, and the glories that should follow them. To\nwhom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto you, did they\nminister these things, which now have been announced unto you through\nthem that preached the gospel unto you by the Holy Spirit sent forth\nfrom heaven: which things angels desire to look into.\"\n\n\n\n\nV\n\nTHE SPIRIT AND JESUS\n\n\nThe relation sustained by the Holy Spirit to Jesus Christ is a twofold\none. First: He predicted by the holy prophets the great facts in the\nlife of the coming one. Second: He associated himself with that one\nafter he came.\n\n1. THE TIME OF HIS COMING WAS CLEARLY FORETOLD. He was to come \"in the\nlast days,\" or in the end of the Jewish Dispensation. \"And it shall come\nto pass in the latter days, that the mountain of Jehovah's house shall\nbe established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above\nthe hills; and all nations shall flow unto it\" (Isa. 2:2).\n\n2. HE WAS TO COME WHILE THE SECOND TEMPLE WAS IN EXISTENCE. \"Behold, I\nsend my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord,\nwhom ye seek, will suddenly come _to his temple_; and the messenger of\nthe covenant, whom ye desire, behold, he cometh, saith Jehovah of hosts\"\n(Mal. 3:1).\n\n3. THE PLACE OF HIS NATIVITY WAS A MATTER OF PROPHECY. \"But thou,\nBethlehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the thousands of\nJudah, out of thee shall one come forth unto me that is to be ruler in\nIsrael; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting\" (Mic.\n5:2).\n\n4. HIS LINEAGE WAS DECLARED IN THE JEWISH SCRIPTURES.\n\n(1) _He was to be a descendant of Abraham._ \"In thee shall all the\nfamilies of the earth be blessed\" (Gen. 12:3). \"For verily not of angels\ndoth he take hold, but he taketh hold of the seed of Abraham\" (Heb.\n2:16).\n\n(2) _He was to be of the tribe of Judah._ \"For it is evident that our\nLord hath sprung out of Judah; as to which tribe Moses spake nothing\nconcerning priests\" (Heb. 7:14).\n\n(3) _He was to be of the house of David._ \"And it shall come to pass in\nthat day, that the root of Jesse, which standeth for an ensign of the\npeoples, unto him shall the nations seek; and his resting-place shall be\nglorious\" (Isa. 11:10).\n\n5. HIS CHARACTER WAS MINUTELY DESCRIBED BY THE PROPHETS.\n\n(1) _His wisdom_. \"And the Spirit of Jehovah shall rest upon him, the\nspirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the\nspirit of knowledge and of the fear of Jehovah\" (Isa. 11:2).\n\n(2) _His obedience_. \"For I am come down from heaven, not to do mine own\nwill, but the will of him that sent me\" (John 6:38).\n\n(3) _His love of righteousness_. \"Thou hast loved righteousness, and\nhated wickedness: Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the\noil of gladness above thy fellows\" (Ps. 45:7).\n\n(4) _His gentleness and tenderness._ \"He will not cry, nor lift up his\nvoice, nor cause it to be heard in the street. A bruised reed will he\nnot break, and a dimly burning wick will he not quench: he will bring\nforth justice in truth\" (Isa. 42:2, 3).\n\n(5) _His compassion_. \"The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me;\nbecause Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek;\nhe hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to\nthe captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound\"\n(Isa. 61:1).\n\n6. HIS BETRAYAL AND TRIAL. As we approach the closing scenes of Christ's\nlife the prophecies become more minute and remarkable.\n\n(1) _The betrayal_. \"And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my\nhire; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my hire thirty pieces of\nsilver. And Jehovah said unto me, Cast it unto the potter, the goodly\nprice that I was prized at by them. And I took the thirty pieces of\nsilver, and cast them unto the potter, in the house of Jehovah\" (Zech.\n11:12, 13).\n\n(2) _His demeanor when on trial_. \"He was oppressed, yet when he was\nafflicted he opened not his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the\nslaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he\nopened not His mouth\" (Isa. 53:7).\n\n(3) _When crucified, the soldiers were to part his garments among them\nand cast lots for his vesture_. \"They part my garments among them, And\nupon my vesture do they cast lots\" (Ps. 22:18).\n\n(4) _He was to be numbered with the transgressors._ \"Therefore will I\ndivide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with\nthe strong; because he poured out his soul unto death, and was numbered\nwith the transgressors; yet he bare the sin of many, and made\nintercession for the transgressors\" (Isa. 53:12).\n\n(5) _He was to perish amid cruel mockings._ \"But I am a worm, and no\nman; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me\nlaugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,\nCommit thyself unto Jehovah; let him deliver him: let him rescue him,\nseeing he delighted in him\" (Ps. 22:6-8).\n\n7. HIS RESURRECTION AND CORONATION.\n\n(1) _He was to rise from the dead_. \"For thou wilt not leave my soul to\nSheol; neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption\" (Ps.\n16:10).\n\n(2) _His ascension was also a subject of prophecy_. \"Thou hast ascended\non high, thou hast led away captives; thou hast received gifts among\nmen, yea, among the rebellious also, that Jehovah God might dwell with\nthem\" (Ps. 68:18).\n\n(3) _His coronation is foretold and described._ \"I saw in the night\nvisions, and, behold, there came with the clouds of heaven one like unto\na son of man, and he came even to the ancient of days, and they brought\nhim near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a\nkingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him:\nhis dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and\nhis kingdom that which shall not be destroyed\" (Dan. 7:13, 14).\n\nThe above are only a few of the many predictions made by the Holy Spirit\nas to the character, life, sacrifice and dominion of our Lord. We notice\nnow the work of the Spirit in, upon and through him.\n\n1. HE WAS CONCEIVED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. \"Now the birth of Jesus Christ\nwas on this wise: When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph,\nbefore they came together she was found with child of the Holy Spirit\"\n(Matt. 1: 18). \"And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy\nSpirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall\novershadow thee: wherefore also the holy thing which is begotten shall\nbe called the Son of God\" (Luke 1:35).\n\n2. HE WAS ANOINTED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. \"And Jesus, when he was baptized,\nwent up straightway from the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto\nhim and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon\nhim; and lo, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is my beloved Son,\nin whom I am well pleased\" (Matt. 3:16, 17). \"And it came to pass in\nthose days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized\nof John in the Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he\nsaw the heavens rent asunder, and the Spirit as a dove descending upon\nhim: and a voice came out of the heavens, Thou art my beloved Son, in\nthee I am well pleased\" (Mark 1:9-11). \"Now it came to pass, when all\nthe people were baptized, that, Jesus also having been baptized and\npraying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended in a\nbodily form, as a dove, upon him, and a voice came out of heaven, Thou\nart my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased\" (Luke 3:21, 22). \"And\nJohn bare witness, saying, I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove\nout of heaven; and it abode upon him, and I knew him not: but he that\nsent me to baptize in water, he said unto me, Upon whomsoever thou shalt\nsee the Spirit descending, and abiding upon him, the same is he that\nbaptizeth in the Holy Spirit\" (John 1: 32, 33).\n\n3. HE WAS LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. \"Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit\ninto the wilderness to be tempted of the devil\" (Matt. 4:1). \"And\nstraightway the Spirit driveth him forth into the wilderness\" (Mark\n1:12). \"And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan,\nand was led in the Spirit in the wilderness\" (Luke 4:1).\n\n4. HE WROUGHT MIRACLES BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. \"But if I by the Spirit of\nGod cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you\" (Matt.\n12:28). \"But if I by the finger of God cast out demons, then is the\nkingdom of God come upon you\" (Luke 11:20).\n\n5. HE OFFERED HIMSELF UP THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT. \"How much more shall\nthe blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself\nwithout blemish unto God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to\nserve the living God?\" (Heb. 9:14).\n\n6. HE WAS RAISED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. \"But if the Spirit of him that\nraised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, he that raised up Christ\nJesus from the dead shall give life also to your mortal bodies through\nhis Spirit that dwelleth in you\" (Rom. 8:11). \"Who was declared to be\nthe Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the\nresurrection from the dead\" (Rom. 1:4).\n\n7. HE GAVE THE COMMISSION BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. \"The former treatise I\nmade, O Theophilus, concerning all that Jesus began both to do and to\nteach, until the day in which he was received up, after that he had\ngiven commandment through the Holy Spirit unto the apostles whom he had\nchosen\" (Acts 1:1, 2).\n\n8. HIS ASCENSION AND CORONATION WERE ANNOUNCED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.\n\"Being therefore by the right hand of God exalted, and having received\nof the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he hath poured forth this,\nwhich you see and hear\" (Acts 2:33). \"Let all the house of Israel\ntherefore know assuredly, that God hath made him both Lord and Christ,\nthis Jesus whom ye crucified\" (Acts 2:36).\n\nThus the Spirit predicted the coming of Jesus and the great facts of his\nbirth, baptism, anointing, miracles, death, burial and resurrection,\nascension and coronation, and then came from the Father to carry on the\nwork of extending his kingdom. In the light of this testimony we can\ntruly say with Paul in 2 Cor. 12:3: \"Wherefore I make known unto you,\nthat no man speaking in the Spirit of God saith, Jesus is anathema: and\nno man can say, Jesus is Lord, _but in the Holy Spirit_.\"\n\n\"I manifested thy name unto the men whom thou gavest me out of the\nworld: thine they were, and thou gavest them to me; and they have kept\nthy word. Now they know that all things whatsoever thou hast given me\nare from thee: for the words which thou gavest me I have given unto\nthem; and they received them, and know of a truth that I came forth from\nthee, and they believe that thou didst send me.... While I was with\nthem, I kept them in thy name which thou hast given me: and I guarded\nthem, and not one of them perished, but the son of perdition; that the\nscripture might be fulfilled.... I have given them thy word; and the\nworld hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of\nthe world. I pray not that thou shouldst take them from the world, but\nthat thou shouldst keep them from the evil one\" (John 17:6-8, 12, 14,\n15).\n\n\n\n\nVI\n\nTHE SPIRIT AND THE APOSTLES\n\n\nIn interpreting Scripture, attention should be paid not only to the\nspeaker and his message, but also to the parties addressed. There are\npassages that are universal in their application, others that are\nnational, and still others that are addressed to individuals only. Many\npromises are addressed to children of God only, and do not apply to\nthose who are not citizens of Christ's kingdom. Again, there are\ncommands that are addressed solely to men in a state of condemnation,\nand have no relevancy when applied to the children of God. Christ\nuttered many things to his chosen ambassadors, chosen to establish his\nkingdom on earth, which were never intended to be applied to any others.\nIt is a mistake for the Christian of to-day to make _universal_,\npromises that were intended by our Lord for special individuals. It\nconfuses the whole scheme of redemption and makes a mystery out of\nScriptures that are perfectly clear when proper limitations are made.\nThings addressed to a chosen few have been wrongly applied to all and\ngreat confusion has resulted therefrom. It is my purpose in this chapter\nto notice some of these.\n\nThe fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth chapters of John contain a\nrecord of a private talk by our Lord to the twelve, and to _them alone_.\nJesus was approaching the close of his earthly ministry. He had chosen\nhis apostles, and they had left all to follow him. He had eaten, slept\nand companied with them. He had taught them the great truths upon which\nhis kingdom would be founded. They had learned to depend upon him for\nadvice, instruction, comfort and guidance. They confessed this when they\nsaid, \"Thou hast the words of eternal life.\"\n\nHe was soon to leave them, and knew that they would feel that they were\n\"as sheep without a shepherd.\" He wishes them to know that they should\nnot be left orphaned. He tells them, \"I will pray the Father, and he\nshall give you _another_ Comforter that he may abide with you for ever,\"\nor to the remotest age. That is, as long as you shall have need of him.\nThe Greek word translated \"for ever\" does not necessarily mean unlimited\nduration. It is often applied to much shorter periods, even to a\nlifetime.\n\nThe word \"Comforter\" is a translation from the Greek word _Paracletos_,\nand it is a very inadequate translation. There is no word within my\nknowledge that will fully express in English the Greek word. It is much\nbetter to Anglicize the word into the English \"Paraclete.\" This word is\nused of the Holy Spirit only four times in the New Testament, and is\nonly used by the Saviour in his private address to the twelve, found in\nthe fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth chapters of John. It is never\napplied to the work of the Holy Spirit in relation to mankind in\ngeneral. It is promised only to the chosen, and Jesus tells them that\n_the world_ can not receive \"him.\"\n\nThis Paraclete is a distinct gift to the twelve, to take the place of\nthe personal presence and guidance of the leader who is preparing to\nleave them.\n\nWhat is the nature of this promised one? By examining the lexicons we\nfind that Paraclete is:\n\n1. One called or sent to assist another.\n\n2. One who pleads the cause of another.\n\n3. A monitor.\n\n4. An instructor.\n\n5. A guide.\n\n6. A helper.\n\n7. A supporter.\n\n8. A comforter.\n\nOf this Paraclete Jesus says:\n\n1. Whom the world _can not receive_.\n\n2. He dwelleth with _you_ and shall be in _you_.\n\n3. He shall teach _you_ all things.\n\n4. He shall bring all things to _your_ remembrance whatsoever I have\nspoken unto _you_.\n\n5. He shall testify of me.\n\n6. He shall convict the world of sin.\n\n7. He shall convict the world of righteousness.\n\n8. He shall convict the world of judgment.\n\n9. He shall guide _you_ into all truth.\n\n10. He shall show _you_ things to come.\n\n11. He shall receive of mine and show it _unto you_.\n\nHere we have eleven distinct things that the Paraclete is to do for the\napostles.\n\nAll these offices of the Paraclete were needed by the apostles in their\nwork of proclaiming Christianity and establishing the church. They were\nignorant and unlearned, humanly speaking, and could never have gone\nforth to success without this supernatural Paraclete. They took no\nthought what they should say, for it was given them at the proper time.\nOthers have to take thought. Paul tells Timothy to \"study to show\nthyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,\nrightly dividing the word of truth.\" Timothy had to study because he did\nnot possess the Paraclete. Yet Timothy did possess the gift of the\nSpirit. \"For which cause I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up\nthe gift of God, which is in thee through the laying on of my hands\" (2\nTim. 1:6).\n\nMen to-day are required to study that they may know what to say. A\nfailure to observe this exhortation of the apostle is the reason why a\ngreat many do not know what to say. The Paraclete was not only an\ninstructor, but he was an infallible guide. This is evident from the\nfact that no apostle ever contradicted another nor said anything\nfoolish. I never heard a man of to-day lay claim to being guided \"into\nall truth by the Spirit,\" who did not say something foolish in the next\nfive minutes. If any man claims the direct guidance of the Spirit\nto-day, he can not consistently deny that same claim to others. But we\nhave all sorts of men teaching all sorts of doctrines, often\ncontradicting each other. Does the Spirit guide one man to preach up\nUniversalism and another man to preach it down! The same is true of\nCalvinism, Mormonism or any other ism.\n\nThis teaching places the Spirit in a very unenviable position, that of\npreaching four or five different teachings at the same time, each\nwithin a half-mile of the other. Suppose a preacher were to do that!\nWhat would the people think of him? It would ruin the reputation of any\npreacher in Christendom. There is something wrong, and that something is\n_to apply to the world_ the promise of the Paraclete, which was _only\ngiven to the apostles_.\n\nPaul tells Timothy: \"The things thou hast heard of me among many\nwitnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to\nteach others also.\" Was that not an impertinence in Paul if Timothy had\nthe same divine leading as he? Was it not impertinence in Jude to say\nthat the faith was \"once for all delivered to the saints,\" if there were\ndeliverances being constantly made? What need to preach the gospel to\nthe heathen world if God is directly leading men into the truth? What\nneed for a New Testament if all men possess this Paraclete? How can one\nman deny the claims of another whom he admits to be divinely guided into\nall truth?\n\nSome have thought that Christ bestowed the Paraclete upon the apostles\nwhen he breathed upon them and said: \"Receive ye the Holy Spirit.\" At\nbest that was a prophetic and not an actual bestowal, for after that\nonbreathing we find Peter (Acts I) calling upon the assembly of brethren\nto _take a vote_ as to who should succeed Judas in the apostolic\ncollege. If he had possessed the Paraclete at that time, he would not\nhave been compelled to resort to the judgment of his brethren to\ndetermine such a question. Moreover, Christ indicated when the Paraclete\nwould come, by stating the work that would follow his coming: \"_When he\nis come_ he shall convict the world [age] of sin, of righteousness and\nof judgment.\" How did he do this?\n\n1. His first act at his coming was to baptize the apostles in the Spirit\nand endow them with the Paraclete. \"Ye shall be baptized in the Holy\nSpirit not many days hence\" (Acts 1:5).\n\n2. When the Spirit baptized these apostles with divine guidance he began\nhis work of convicting the world through them.\n\n(1) _To convict the world of sin_. Not of sin in general. It is a\nmistaken idea that the Spirit is sent to personally convict a man of the\nsin of lying, stealing or defrauding his neighbor. When I was a boy in\nold Kentucky the colored people used to hold great revivals; they\ngenerally selected corn-planting-time or harvest-time for these\nmeetings. Many of them would lie for days in a cataleptic condition,\nwhich, they said, was a \"conviction of the Spirit.\" A man would go\ngroaning and moping to his task because he was \"under conviction of the\nHoly Ghost.\" The above passage teaches nothing of the kind, nor does any\nother passage in the New Testament teach it. There is not a case in the\nNew Testament where the Holy Spirit ever made an issue with a man to\npersonally convict him of sin. All men are convicted of sin by the\nSpirit, but it is the Spirit working through the preaching of\nSpirit-filled men. \"And he, when he is come, will convict the world [the\nJewish world or age] in respect of sin, because they _believe not on\nme_.\" They called him a blasphemer, they rejected him, they took him\nwith wicked hands and crucified and slew him; and the first thrust of\nthe Spirit on the day of Pentecost was at this sinful act of the world:\n\"This same Jesus whom ye took with wicked hands and crucified and slew,\nGod hath raised him up and made him both Lord and Christ.\"\n\n(2) \"_Of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and ye behold me no\nmore_.\" If this passage teaches that men are individually convicted of\nsin, it also teaches that they are individually convicted of\nrighteousness, and this would be a most herculean task, even for the\nSpirit, to perform. It is a contradiction of terms to say that the\nSpirit convicts a man of sin, then, in the next breath, that he convicts\nthe same man of righteousness. And yet, the Spirit was to convict men\n\"of righteousness\"; but whose righteousness? _The righteousness of Jesus\nChrist_. \"Of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and ye behold me\nno more.\" When Jesus was on earth he claimed to be the Son of God; he\nclaimed to come down from heaven; he claimed to be God manifest in the\nflesh; but, at the same time, he was a \"man of sorrows and acquainted\nwith grief.\" \"There was no beauty that we should desire him.\" On this\naccount the Jews refused to accept him as the Son of God; they denied\nhis claim to divinity and called him a blasphemer for making himself\nequal with God; they believed that he was unrighteous in making that\nclaim, and Jesus died because his claims were not accepted by his\npeople; but after his death he was crowned with glory and honor at the\nright hand of the Majesty on high, and the Spirit came to demonstrate\nthe righteous claims Jesus made while on earth. The Spirit came to\nconvict men of the righteousness of Christ, and not their own\nrighteousness. A simple illustration will probably throw light upon this\nthought. Forty years ago my father lived in a little village in the\nState of Illinois, midway between St. Louis and Indianapolis. One\nafternoon two young lads, covered with dust and toilworn, came to his\nhouse and told him they were sons of an elder of a Christian Church in\nIndiana; that they had been robbed in St. Louis, and were making their\nway home on foot; they asked for something to eat. My father doubted\ntheir claims; he felt that they were impostors; but my mother, who had\nboys of her own out in the world, and who always believed the best of\neverybody, said: \"We will feed them and care for them during the night.\"\nTheir wants were supplied, and they were given lodging for the night,\nand sent on their way the next morning with a good lunch for the day.\nSix months afterward, I preached in Monroe County, Indiana, and,\nstopping with one of the elders of the church, two young lads were\nintroduced to me as his boys. They asked me if my father lived in\nIllinois. I told them he did. They then recounted their experience at my\nfather's home, and said to me: \"We would be glad when you return home if\nyou will tell your father that you stopped at our house, and that you\nknow we were what we claimed to be when we sought his aid.\" When I\nreturned to my father's home I convicted him of the righteousness of\nthose boys in the claim which they set forth, and which he had hitherto\ndoubted. In a similar manner the Spirit of God came down to convict the\nworld, that had rejected the claims of Jesus, of his righteousness in\nmaking those claims.\n\n(3) _He will convict the world of judgment, because the \"prince of this\nworld is judged_.\" This passage does not say, as many preachers quote\nit, \"of judgment _to come_,\" but \"of judgment, because the prince of\nthis world is judged.\" This Scripture is often quoted to show that a\njudgment was pronounced upon Satan, who is often called the prince of\nthis world. The word for prince in the original is used thirty-seven\ntimes--thirty-two times it clearly means an earthly ruler, and five\ntimes it may apply to Satan. There is no reason why the expression, \"the\nprince of this world,\" may not mean an earthly ruler. It evidently\nrefers to Pontius Pilate, in John 14:30, when Jesus says: \"The prince of\nthis world cometh, and he hath nothing in me.\" Pilate justifies that\nstatement when he says: \"I find no fault in this man.\" Nevertheless, as\nprince of this world, he pronounced the death-sentence and delivered him\nup to be crucified. This was the judgment of the prince of this world,\nbut the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost reversed this\njudgment and pronounced a righteous judgment in its place, thus judging\nPilate \"the prince of this world.\" The above three things were\naccomplished on the day of Pentecost by the coming of the Spirit. The\nJews were convicted of sin in rejecting and crucifying Christ; they were\nalso convicted of the righteousness of Christ in claiming to be the Son\nof God, and likewise convinced that God had raised up Jesus and made him\nboth Lord and Christ. In accomplishing this work the Spirit did it\nthrough the instrumentality of gospel preaching, and all subsequent\nconvictions of sin, of righteousness and of judgment have been\naccomplished through the same agency, and will be till the end of time.\n\nThis Paraclete continued with the apostles till the end of their\nministry, guiding, leading, and showing them \"things to come,\" bringing\nall things to their remembrance that Christ had spoken unto them. Under\nthis direct and supernatural control they preached the gospel to all the\nnations of the earth, and established the church with all its officers,\nordinances, privileges and duties. They wrote the epistles to the\nchurches and gave to mankind the New Testament, \"the perfect law of\nliberty.\" The work of the Paraclete being finished, and his mission\nended, no man has been guided, shown and directed personally by him\nsince. God does no unnecessary work, and the work of the Paraclete is\nnot necessary now. His work remains in the teachings and lives of the\napostles. There are many things in the above-mentioned chapters that\nrightfully have a universal application, but the special promises\nconcerning the Paraclete are not included in those things.\n\n\"Wherefore he saith, When he ascended on high, he led captivity\ncaptive, And gave gifts unto men.... And he gave some to be apostles;\nand some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and\nteachers; for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of\nministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ: till we all\nattain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of\nGod, unto a fullgrown man, unto the measure of the stature of the\nfulness of Christ\" (Eph. 4:8, 11-13).\n\n\n\n\nVII\n\nTHE SPIRIT AND THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH\n\n\nThat the Holy Spirit sustained a relation to the apostolic church that\nit does not sustain to the church of to-day is clearly evident to the\nstudent of the Divine Word. The church of the apostolic age had no New\nTestament as we have to-day. Hence the necessity of a more direct and\nimmediate leading than is necessary to-day. The apostle Paul states the\ndifference between the two when he says: \"For we know in part, and we\nprophesy in part; but when that which is perfect is come, that which is\nin part shall be done away.\" This is not a contrast between the\nimperfections of our day and the perfection of heaven, but between the\nimperfection of the apostolic church and the perfection of the church of\nto-day. That which is perfect _has come_; a perfect revelation of\nChristian character, a perfect gospel, a perfect \"law of liberty,\" a\nperfect New Testament. The apostolic church was limited to knowing _in\npart_ and prophesying _in part_. \"But to each one is given the\nmanifestation of the Spirit to profit withal. For to one is given\nthrough the Spirit the word of wisdom; and to another the word of\nknowledge, according to the same Spirit: to another faith, in the same\nSpirit; to another gifts of healings, in the one Spirit; and to another\nworkings of miracles; and to another prophecy; and to another\ndiscernings of spirits: to another divers kinds of tongues; and to\nanother the interpretation of tongues: but all these worketh the one and\nthe same Spirit, dividing to each one severally even as he will\" (1 Cor.\n12:7-11).\n\nNow, here was manifestly a condition in the first churches that does not\nexist to-day. Here are various direct and supernatural workings that are\nmanifestations of spiritual power resulting from a direct _gift of the\nSpirit_ to members of apostolic churches. Now, there was a purpose to\nbe accomplished by this special gift of the Spirit. In the fourth\nchapter of Ephesians the apostle tells us the purpose of this gift. \"And\nhe gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and\nsome, pastors and teachers; _for_ the perfecting of the saints, _for_\nthe work of the ministry, _for_ the edifying of the body of Christ:\n_Till we all come to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the\nSon of God_.\" This gift of the Spirit accompanied the baptism of the\nSpirit on the day of Pentecost.\n\nThis brings us to a very-interesting question; viz., Was the promise of\nthe \"gift of the Holy Spirit,\" referred to by Peter on the day of\nPentecost, a universal one to all who obey the gospel, or was it limited\nto those of the apostolic church who received it that they might\nmanifest it in a supernatural way \"to profit withal,\" or to the profit\nof all?\n\nThere are some who claim that \"the gift of the Spirit\" is one that\nbelongs to all who obey the gospel to-day, that it is independent of the\ninstrumentality of the gospel, and is the peculiar heritage of those\nwho repent and are baptized for the remission of sins; that it performs\na work in them other than is performed by the Spirit operating through\nthe truth. There are others who claim that the \"gift of the Spirit\" was\na supernatural power and was conferred on persons to qualify them to do\na work or works peculiar to the age of miracles which obtained in the\napostolic church. The only way to settle this is by appealing to (1) the\nconsciousness of individuals, (2) to the Divine Word.\n\nBefore appealing to either of these tribunals, there are a few facts\nthat we must consider. (1) _This is the only passage in the New\nTestament that connects \"the gift of the Spirit\" with obedience to the\ngospel in the preaching of the apostles_. We have remission of sins so\nconnected on various occasions (see Acts 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18,\netc., etc.), but nowhere else is this \"gift of the Spirit\" promised. If\nit is to be as universal as \"remission of sins,\" ought it not to have\nthe same prominence in apostolic preaching? This is an important factor\nin settling the matter. (2) In the only instance in which it is promised\nit is inexorably connected with _baptism for the remission of sins_. It\nis promised to no others, and all others are ruled out by the explicit\nterms of the promise.\n\nWith these facts before us, let us now _appeal to the consciousness of\nthe individual_. If we consider numbers, it is safe to say that\nninety-five per cent. of those who to-day claim \"the gift of the Spirit\"\nhave never been baptized for the remission of sins. _They have never\nperformed the conditions upon which the gift was bestowed_. Are they\ncompetent to testify? Of the remaining five per cent., there is not one\nwho can give any definite reason why he is _conscious_ of the personal\nindwelling of the Spirit within him. To demonstrate my statement I\nappeal to the consciousness of my readers. Are you _conscious_ of any\ninfluence within you except a holy joy that comes from obedience to the\nwill of God? If you are not, what evidence have you that the Spirit\npersonally dwells in you? So much for the argument from consciousness.\n\n_Now let us appeal to the Divine Word_. When the apostle Peter promised\n\"the gift of the Spirit,\" he followed it with the words, \"_For the\npromise_ is to you and to your children, and to all them that are afar\noff, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.\" He distinctly states\nthat the gift of the Spirit is in fulfillment of \"the promise.\" Now, is\nthere in the Scripture any promise of a personal indwelling of the Holy\nSpirit as a _result of obedience_? Let us search the words of the\nMaster. In Luke 11:13 our Lord says: \"If ye then, being evil, know how\nto give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly\nFather give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?\" This passage may be\ndisposed of by saying that in the original it is _a holy spirit_ and\ndoes not refer to _the Holy Spirit_ at all. It represents God's\nwillingness to give _a holy disposition_. Matthew explains it in the\nwords \"good gifts to them that ask him.\" In John 7:38, 39 we have\nrecorded another promise: \"He that believeth on me, as the scripture\nhath said, from within him shall flow rivers of living water. But this\nspake he of the Spirit, which they that believed on him were to receive:\nfor the Spirit was not yet given; because Jesus was not yet glorified.\"\nThis is evidently a supernatural gift, as he represents the recipient of\nit as a fountain from which flows rivers of living water. This is\nobviously not true of us to-day. Our Saviour also dates the bestowal as\nfollowing his glorification, or on the day of Pentecost. In Mark\n16:16-18: \"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that\ndisbelieveth shall be condemned. And these signs shall accompany them\nthat believe: in my name shall they cast out demons; they shall speak\nwith new tongues; they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any\ndeadly thing, it shall in no wise hurt them; they shall lay hands on the\nsick, and they shall recover.\" These five things that accompanied the\nbelievers are all supernatural. Of the three promises of Jesus--which\nare all that are recorded in the New Testament--only two refer to the\nHoly Spirit, and both of these to its _supernatural manifestation_.\n\nIf we go back of the Saviour to the Old Testament, we find a distinct\npromise of the gift of the Spirit: \"And it shall come to pass afterward,\nthat I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your\ndaughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young\nmen shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the\nhand-maids in those days will I pour out my Spirit\" (Joel 2:28, 29).\nThis promise is the one quoted by Peter to explain the manifestations on\nthe day of Pentecost to the people drawn together by that wonderful\nevent. From it he delivers by the Spirit a sermon on the claims of our\nLord. He shows that they had taken the Lord by wicked hands and had\ncrucified and slain him; that God had raised him from the dead and had\nexalted him to his right hand; had given him the _promise of the Holy\nSpirit_; that what they _saw_ and _heard_ was the fulfillment of Joel's\npromise. This promise was not simply to the apostles, for we read in the\npreceding chapter that the apostles, and the women and Mary the mother\nof Jesus, and his brethren to the number of one hundred and twenty all\ncontinued with one accord in prayer and supplication. \"And when the day\nof Pentecost was now come, they were all together in one place. And\nsuddenly there came from heaven a sound as of the rushing of a mighty\nwind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there\nappeared unto them tongues parting asunder, like as of fire; and it sat\nupon _each of them_. And they _were all filled_ with the Holy Spirit,\nand began _to speak_ with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them\nutterance.\" This shows that the gift of the Spirit came upon all the\nfollowers Jesus left behind him. When the multitude were convicted by\nthe apostle's discourse, they \"said unto Peter and the rest of the\napostles, Brethren, what shall we do? And Peter said unto them, Repent\nye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto\nthe remission of your sins: and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy\nSpirit. _For to you is the promise_, and to your children, and to all\nthat are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call unto\nhim.\" What promise! Evidently the promise of God, \"I will pour out of my\nspirit upon all flesh.\" There is no other promise in the mind of Peter\nand his hearers, and I know of no other promise the reader can have in\nmind. This position is amply supported by after-developments. \"While\nPeter yet spake these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all them that\n_heard the word_. And they of the circumcision that believed were\namazed, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also\nwas poured out the gift of the Holy Spirit. For they heard them speak\nwith tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid\nthe water, that these should not be baptized, who have _received the\nHoly Spirit_ as well as we?\" (Acts 10:44-47). This was in fulfillment of\nthe promise not only to the Jews, but the Gentiles, whom the Jews\nregarded as \"far off.\" Paul, speaking to Gentiles, says: \"But now in\nChrist Jesus, ye that were once far off are made nigh in the blood of\nChrist\" (Eph. 2:13). In this incident \"the gift of the Holy Spirit\" and\n\"receiving the Spirit\" are the same. And when Peter was taken to task\nfor baptizing the Gentiles, he defends himself on the ground that God,\nwho knows the heart, bore witness to them, _giving them the Holy Spirit,\n\"the like gift as he did also unto us_.\" In the above instances,\nPentecost and the house of Cornelius, the gift of the Spirit was the\nresult of the baptism of the Spirit, the baptism of the Spirit was an\noutpouring or falling of the Spirit upon the Jews at Pentecost and the\nGentiles at the house of Cornelius, to signify his acceptance of both\nJew and Gentile into the kingdom of Christ. Paul undoubtedly refers to\nthis when he says: \"For in one Spirit were we all baptized into one\nbody, whether _Jews_ or _Greeks\"_ (1 Cor. 12:13). The baptism of the\nSpirit ceased when its object--the making of one body out of Jews and\nGentiles--was accomplished, but \"the gift of the Spirit\" did not cease.\nIt was conferred by the laying on of the hands of the apostles through\nall their lives. A few illustrations may be mentioned from the\nScriptures.\n\n_The Samaritans_. When a bloody persecution arose at Jerusalem,\nfollowing the death of Stephen, the disciples were scattered and went\neverywhere preaching the Word. Philip went to the city of Samaria and\npreached Christ to them. \"But when they believed Philip preaching good\ntidings concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they\nwere baptized, both men and women\" (Acts 8:12). \"For as yet _the Holy\nSpirit was fallen upon none of them_: only they had been baptized into\nthe name of the Lord Jesus\" (Acts 8:16). If the gift of the Spirit is to\nall baptized believers, why did not the Samaritans receive it? Philip\nwas not an apostle and did not have the power to confer \"the gift of the\nSpirit\" by the imposition of hands, and, in order that they might\nreceive this \"gift,\" it was necessary that two apostles, Peter and John,\nshould go to Samaria and lay hands on them, that they might receive the\nSpirit. Here is a clear case of baptized believers receiving the Holy\nSpirit by the imposition of hands.\n\n_Disciples at Ephesus_. In Acts 19 Paul met certain disciples that had\nreceived the baptism of John. He showed them that John did not preach a\nfull gospel, which embraced a belief in Christ. \"And when they heard\nthis, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus, and when Paul\nhad _laid his hands upon them_, the Holy Spirit came on them.\" This is\nanother clear case of the Spirit being given by the imposition of hands.\n\n_Timothy_. In 2 Tim. 1:6 Paul tells Timothy: \"For which cause I put thee\nin remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee\nthrough the _laying on of my hands_.\" This is a third instance of the\ngift of the Spirit by the imposition of hands, and they form just _three\nmore instances_ than can be found of the Spirit taking his personal\n\"abode in men because they have believed and been baptized.\"\n\nThat the Spirit was imparted to many Christians in a similar way is\nclear. Paul tells the brethren at Borne: \"For I long to see you, that I\nmay impart unto you some _spiritual gift_, to the end that ye may be\nestablished.\" It was not necessary that he see these brethren to the\nend that he might proclaim the gospel unto them; but it _was necessary_\nthat he see them that he might lay hands on them and _impart the gift_\nof the Spirit.\n\nIn Mark 16:17, 18 Jesus concludes the commission as follows: \"And these\nsigns shall accompany them that believe: in my name shall they cast out\ndemons; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents,\nand if they drink any deadly thing, it shall in no wise hurt them; they\nshall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.\" Here is clearly\nthe promise of supernatural power which he calls \"signs.\" Signs of what?\nThere is but one answer that can be given: signs of the indwelling of\nGod's Spirit by which alone they could work these signs. Are these signs\nin existence to-day? No thoughtful reader will so affirm. If the\nmanifestations of the Spirit have ceased, is it not reasonable that the\n\"gift\" has also ceased? If not, we have the remarkable fact of the\nSpirit dwelling in man and not being able to _manifest any signs_ of his\nindwelling.\n\nWe are now enabled to reach two conclusions of importance: First, the\n\"gift of the Spirit\" was a supernatural gift for the purpose of enabling\nthe \"believers\" in apostolic days to work the \"signs\" which Christ said\nshould accompany them that believe, and ceased when the signs ceased.\nSecond, many of the exhortations of the New Testament writers were to a\nchurch whose members were filled with the supernatural power of the\nSpirit, and should be interpreted in the light of that fact. We give a\nfew examples that fall under this head: \"Declared to be the Son of God\nwith power, according to the spirit of holiness\" (Rom. 1:4). \"But ye are\n... in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you\"\n(Rom. 8:9). \"Ourselves also, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit\"\n(Rom. 8:23). \"My conscience bearing witness with me in the Holy Spirit\"\n(Rom. 9:1). \"Now I beseech you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ, and\nby the love of the Spirit\" (Rom. 15:30). \"Now he that wrought us for\nthis very thing is God, who gave unto us the earnest of the Spirit\" (2\nCor. 5:5). \"Ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is an\nearnest of our inheritance\" (Eph. 1:13, 14). \"Through him we both have\nour access in one Spirit unto the Father\" (Eph. 2:18). \"Be filled with\nthe Spirit\" (Eph. 5:18). \"If there is therefore any ... fellowship of\nthe Spirit\" (Phil. 2:1). \"Therefore he that rejecteth, rejecteth ...\nGod, who giveth his Holy Spirit unto you\" (1 Thess. 4:8). \"For God gave\nus not a spirit, of fearfulness; but of power and love and discipline\"\n(2 Tim. 1:7). \"He saved us through the washing of regeneration and\nrenewing of the Holy Spirit\" (Tit. 3:5). \"God also bearing witness with\nthem, both by signs and wonders and by manifold powers, and by gifts of\nthe Holy Spirit\" (Heb. 2:4). \"Doth the spirit which he made to dwell in\nus long unto envying?\" (Jas. 4:5). \"Ye have an anointing from the Holy\nOne\" (1 John 2: 20). \"The anointing which ye received of him abideth in\nyou\" (1 John 2:27). \"He hath given us of his Spirit\" (1 John 4:13).\n\nAll the above Scriptures become clear if we understand them to apply to\na people through whom God was manifesting his presence by supernatural\ndemonstrations, but many of them lack meaning when applied to people of\nGod who no longer exhibit these supernatural powers.\n\n\n\n\nVIII\n\nTHE SPIRIT AND THE WORLD\n\n\nHitherto we have been treating the Holy Spirit in terms of the past, but\nnow we come to the present tense. Is the Holy Spirit a power in the\npresent age? If so, what kind of a power? Is he making an issue with men\nas a direct power and working upon them immediately, or is he working\nthrough an instrumentality, and, if so, what is the instrumentality?\n\nThe Spirit is undoubtedly dealing with two classes of persons in his\nwork to-day.\n\nFirst, those who are not believers, and therefore unconverted and\n\"aliens from the commonwealth of Israel.\"\n\nSecond, those who have believed and obeyed the gospel, and are therefore\nchildren of God.\n\nWe shall devote this chapter to the influence of the Spirit upon the\nunbelieving world.\n\nIn the very nature of things, the work of the Spirit is to make\nbelievers out of unbelievers, and convert the perverted. We all believe\nthis. We believe that all believers are made by the power of the Spirit.\nWe differ about whether he exercises that power directly from himself to\nthe individual soul, or whether he exercises that power through the\ngospel, through the apostles and through Christ's word of truth. Reason,\nphilosophy and experience exhausted themselves in discovering but two\nmethods by which one spirit can exercise an influence over another.\n\nFirst, a direct mechanical, immediate influence taking possession of the\nwill and influencing the mind of and controlling the speech and actions\nof the subject. This takes place in hypnotism and is supposed to take\nplace in clairvoyance and clairaudience.\n\nSecond, a rational moral influence exerted by ideas impressed upon the\nmind by teaching and words that represent ideas.\n\nThere is, there can be, no third way by which one spirit can influence\nanother. You may study till you are gray-headed or bald-headed, for\nthat matter, and you will discover no other way.\n\nThe Holy Spirit has used both of these methods in the past.\n\n1. In the case of the apostles and prophets, he immediately,\nmechanically and directly controlled their actions and speech, so much\nso that Jesus told them that under the influence of the Spirit they\nshould take no thought what they should say. \"For it is not ye that\nspeak, but the Holy Spirit\" (Mark 13:11). \"And they were all filled with\nthe Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit\ngave them utterance\" (Acts 2:4).\n\n2. In the case of the men to whom the apostles preached on the day of\nPentecost, the Spirit used a rational moral influence through the words\nof Peter's sermon, which conveyed ideas that swayed their minds and\nhearts. It is claimed by some that both of these methods are used by the\nSpirit to-day. The modern teaching concerning the first of these\ninfluences is well set forth in the following selection from a widely\nknown book by L.B. Dunn, entitled \"The Mission of the Spirit\": \"Even\nwhere the light of the gospel does not shine, and the institutions of\nthe gospel are not enjoyed, there the Spirit acts directly upon man's\nheart and conscience, writes the law of God upon his mind, gives him the\nsense of sin and the need of forgiveness. Hence, wherever man is, there\nthe Comforter is at work upon his heart and mind. The divine influence\nis imparted _unconditionally_ and _irresistibly_. The Holy Spirit is\never employed to bring man back to God; and _whether he desires it or\nnot_, whether he is _willing_ or _unwilling_, still the Comforter comes\nto him with his heavenly illumination, his divine influence, convincing\nhim of sin, and his consequent need of the mercy of God. May I not truly\nsay that man really _has no choice_ in the matter as to whether he will\nor will not have this divine influence upon his soul? _He is, he must\nbe_, enlightened and convinced, _whether he will hear or forbear_,\nwhether he _will be saved or damned_. He _can not prevent_ the entrance\nof the Spirit into his heart.\"\n\nIn connection with the above we quote also from a sermon in \"The\nBaptist Pulpit,\" by Rev. J.W. Hayhurst: \"God has given us no means by\nwhich the conversion of sinners, or the general revival of religion, can\nbe effected, irrespective of the _direct_ agency of the Spirit. The\ngospel itself _will not do it_.\"\n\nThese quotations give us a pretty clear and explicit statement of the\ntheory of the direct mechanical and _immediate_ operation of the Holy\nSpirit upon the human spirit.\n\nThe second method is aptly stated by an editorial which appeared in the\n_Sunday School Times_ during the year 1908: \"It is a strange fact that,\nnotwithstanding the _explicitness_ and _uniformity_ of the New Testament\nteachings on this subject, there is a widespread popular opinion that\nthe Holy Spirit's work is directly and immediately on or in the heart of\nthe unbeliever, without the intervention or agency of the Christian\nwhatever. To hear what is said in the sermons, or sung in the hymns, or\nprayed in the prayers of many Christians, one might believe that the\nHoly Spirit is sent directly to the unbelieving sinner, to strive with\nhim, to show him his sin, and to point him to, the Saviour; and that\ntherefore the Christian preacher or teacher has rather to wait the\nresults of this work of the Spirit, than to be the instrument or the\navenue of this work. Many a Christian seems to think that the Holy\nSpirit's work is that of a _revival preacher_, in moving sinners to\nrepentance by a _direct appeal_ to their consciences and understandings,\ninstead of stirring up Christians to appeal, in the power of the Spirit,\nto unbelievers to believe and turn to God. It is true that, in this\npresent dispensation of the Spirit, all power in the evangelizing of the\nworld, and in the swaying of the hearts of men toward Christ and in the\nservice of Christ, is primarily with the Holy Spirit. But it is also\ntrue that the Holy Spirit, according to the Bible teachings, works _in\nand by and through_ believers in Jesus. Hence if one who is not a\nbeliever in Jesus is to be won to discipleship, the question is not,\n'Will the Holy Spirit work on his mind immediately, or will the Holy\nSpirit work through one who already believes?' for that question _the\nBible has already answered_. The Holy Spirit can use the written words,\nlike the spoken words, of a chosen messenger of God to an unbelieving\nsoul. But in every case _the Spirit reaches the believer mediately, not\nimmediately_.\"\n\nNow, these theories are directly contradictory. If one is true, the\nother can not be. The only question to decide is as to which one is\ntrue. Let us examine these theories in the light of reason, revelation\nand experience. If the Holy Spirit works directly and immediately on the\nheart of man, surely there should be some tangible evidence of it given\nin such a striking way as to demonstrate the truth of the theory. But\nthe experience of Christendom for nineteen centuries fails to furnish a\nsingle unquestioned evidence of it. The proof of the theory is made to\nhinge upon far-fetched inferences drawn from Scripture statements, and\neven these fail to furnish the evidence sought. Let us notice some of\nthe Scriptures that are relied upon to prove a direct operation of the\nSpirit in the conversion of sinners:\n\n1. \"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within\nyou; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will\ngive you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and\ncause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep mine ordinances, and\ndo them\" (Ezek. 36:26, 27). This passage has been much relied upon to\nprove the theory of an abstract operation of the Spirit upon the sinner\nin conversion. Its failure to support the theory is evidenced by the\nfollowing facts:\n\n(1) The Lord was not talking about the conversion of a sinner, but the\nrenewal of Israel as a people.\n\n(2) The passage says nothing about the work of the Holy Spirit.\n\n(3) There is nothing mentioned in the passage that could not have been\naccomplished by ordinary means.\n\n(4) The very point to be proven is assumed.\n\n2. \"But their minds were hardened: for until this very day at the\nreading of the old covenant the same veil remaineth, it not being\nrevealed to them that it is done away in Christ. But unto this day,\nwhensoever Moses is read, a veil lieth upon their heart. But whensoever\n_it shall turn to the Lord_, the veil is taken away\" (2 Cor. 3:14-16).\nJust what is found here to prove a direct operation of the Spirit would\nbe difficult to say. The apostle is speaking of the Jews reading the\nScriptures with a veil which blinds them. The veil was undoubtedly a\nfalse interpretation, which prevented their _seeing Christ_ in their\nScriptures. If they had not this wrong interpretation, they would see\nChrist and their Scriptures would _be plain._ As it was, they were dark\nand mysterious. The apostle tells what will remove the veil: \"_When they\nshall turn to the Lord_,\" the veil shall be _taken away_. There is\nnothing in the whole passage that even hints at an immediate operation\nof the Spirit.\n\n3. \"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,\nwhich God afore prepared that we should walk in them\" (Eph. 2:10). There\nis nothing here to even hint at a direct operation. It says the\nEphesians were created in Christ Jesus (not in the Holy Spirit) unto\ngood works. If the reader wishes to learn by what means they were so\ncreated, let him turn to chapter 1, verse 13, and he will obtain the\ninformation: \"In whom ye also, _having heard_ the word of the truth,\n_the gospel_ of your salvation,--in whom, _having also believed_, ye\nwere sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.\" That is something to the\npoint. They \"heard the word of truth,\" the gospel of their salvation.\nThen, _after they believed_, they \"were sealed with the Holy Spirit of\npromise.\" There is nothing in the passage to warrant the teaching of a\nspecial operation to enable them to believe.\n\n4. \"And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of\nThyatira, one that worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened\nto give heed unto the things which were spoken by Paul\" (Acts 16:14).\nThis is relied upon to prove a direct work of the Spirit upon Lydia that\nshe might _hear_ and _believe_. The very thing to be proved is again\nassumed. True, the Lord opened Lydia's heart, but he didn't do so that\nshe might \"receive the word,\" for Paul had already preached it to her.\nHer heart was opened that \"she gave heed to the things spoken by Paul.\"\nBefore she heard Paul she had a narrow, bigoted Jewish heart. After she\nheard the preaching, her heart was opened to attend to the things she\nhad heard. That is, she obeyed the gospel. Nothing about the Holy Spirit\nin the entire history.\n\n5. \"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter,\nthat he may be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth: whom the\nworld cannot receive; for it beholdeth him not, neither knoweth him: ye\nknow him; for he abideth with you, and shall be in you\" (John 14:16,\n17). As I have elsewhere shown, this passage has a private and peculiar\napplication to the apostles, and not to the world of mankind. It\nspecifically states that \"the world cannot receive\" this Comforter. That\nkills it as a proof-text that the world \"must receive it\" before it can\nbelieve. Those who affirm a direct operation of the Spirit on \"the\nworld\" make a clear-cut issue with the Saviour.\n\n6. \"I planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase\" (1 Cor. 3:6).\nThose who use this to prove a special operation of the Spirit make it\nmean, \"I have planted _the word_ and Apollos has watered it, but God by\na special work of the Holy Spirit makes the increase of the word.\" This\nis a false interpretation, as the apostle was not speaking of \"the word\"\nat all. How could Apollos \"_water the word_\"? The apostle was speaking\nof the _congregation_ at Corinth, which he had planted and Apollos had\ntended, and which, under the care of God, had made increase. There is\nnothing in the passage about the Holy Spirit.\n\n7. \"While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all them\nthat heard the word\" (Acts 10:44). This has reference to God's\nsignifying his acceptance of the Gentiles by an outpouring similar to\nthe one on the day of Pentecost. It was purely a supernatural act, and\nhas never been repeated since that day. But even then it would not\nprove the necessity of an operation of the Spirit, that men might _hear\nthe gospel_ and believe it. The record says \"it fell on all them that\n_heard the word.\"_ Cornelius was told by the angel to send for Peter,\n\"who shall tell thee words whereby thou shalt be saved.\"\n\n8. \"Now the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God:\nfor they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot know them, because they\nare spiritually judged. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, and\nhe himself is judged of no man\" (1 Cor. 2:14, 15). This is held to be\none of the strongest passages to confirm the teaching of the necessity\nof a direct operation of the Holy Spirit to enable a man to hear and to\nbelieve the gospel. A brief examination of the context will show that\nsuch an idea was not in the mind of the apostle at all. The apostle is\nnot even speaking of _conversion_ when he uses the language. He is\nspeaking of _inspiration_. The spiritual man in Paul's mind was a man\ninspired by the Spirit, and the natural man was an uninspired man. If\nthe reader will turn to the ninth verse of the chapter and read to the\nconclusion of the chapter, and place \"uninspired\" where he finds\n\"natural,\" and \"inspired\" where \"spiritual\" is found, the passage will\nbe as clear as a sunbeam. \"The things of the Spirit\" are things produced\nby the Spirit, which needed an inspired man to explain. The day of\nPentecost was a \"thing of the Spirit,\" and there was not an uninspired\nman in all that great throng that could understand it. The best solution\nthey could give was, \"These men are drunk,\" but Peter, an inspired man,\nexplained in inspired language that \"this is that which was spoken by\nthe prophet Joel: It shall come to pass in the last days, saith God,\nthat I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh.\" When these natural\n(uninspired) men heard Peter's (inspired) spiritual explanation, they\ncould understand it. They did understand it and obeyed it to the number\nof three thousand. Nebuchadnezzar's vision was a \"thing of the Spirit,\"\nand there was not a natural (uninspired) man in all his realm that\ncould interpret it. But Daniel, a spiritual (inspired) man, explained it\nin spiritual language and then all could understand it. There is nothing\nin the passage to support the theory of a direct operation to enable man\nto understand the gospel.\n\n9. \"Him did God exalt with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour,\nto give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins\" (Acts 5:31). This\npassage is used because it speaks of Christ giving repentance. They\ninfer that is done by a direct operation of the Spirit. But the passage\nsays nothing as to _how_ he grants repentance. Christ gives many things\nthat are not the result of a direct operation of the Spirit. The very\nnext verse says God gives \"the Holy Spirit to all them _that obey_ him.\"\nThis directly contradicts the theory of the necessity of a direct\noperation of the Spirit to enable men to obey him.\n\n10. \"No man can come to me, except the Father that sent me draw him: and\nI will raise him up in the last day\" (John 6:44). This is greatly relied\nupon to show the necessity of an irresistible drawing before men can\ncome to Christ. The word \"draw,\" in the Scriptures, is a translation of\ntwo words in the original. One means to draw by force, \"to drag;\" the\nother means to \"entice, allure or persuade\"--that men are drawn by moral\narguments, or \"allured.\" In the next verse Christ tells how men are\ndrawn. \"Every one that hath heard from the Father, and hath learned,\ncometh unto me.\" Christ draws men by \"_teaching_,\" and they come as\nresult of \"_learning_.\" That is why he told his disciples to \"go teach\nall nations.\" That is Christ's method of drawing.\n\nNow, I have selected ten of the strongest passages in the New Testament\nthat support the theory of a direct operation of the Spirit before men\nare qualified to hear and obey the gospel. If it is not taught in the\nabove passages, it is not taught in the Bible. When rightly considered,\nnot one of them even leans toward the theory. Are we not justified in\nsaying that the theory is not supported by the Scriptures! Now, how are\npersons made believers? Hear the word of God:\n\n1. \"For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto\nsalvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the\nGreek\" (Rom. 1:16). Now, here is the unequivocal statement that God's\npower to save is lodged in the gospel. In all ages of Christianity there\nis not a record of a single soul ever being saved without the presence\nof this power. But this is not a magical power. It must be _heard_ in\norder that it produce faith. But how shall they _hear_ without a\npreacher and how shall he _preach_ except he be _sent_? The order is,\nthen, (1) send, (2) preach, (3) hear, (4) believe, (5) obey, (6) saved.\nNow, this is the order of the Saviour's commission to his followers. \"Go\npreach the gospel to every creature; he that believeth and is baptized\nshall be saved.\" That is our marching order to-day.\n\n2. \"Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they\nreceived the word with all readiness of mind, _examining the scriptures_\ndaily, whether these things were so. _Many of them therefore believed_;\nalso of the Greek women of honorable estate, and of men, not a few\"\n(Acts 17:11, 12). Here were believers made by searching the Scriptures\nand by receiving the Word with all \"readiness of mind.\" The same method\nwill make believers of unbelievers to-day.\n\n3. \"For though ye have ten thousand tutors in Christ, yet have ye not\nmany fathers; for in Christ Jesus I begat you through the gospel\" (1\nCor. 4:15). No clearer statement could be made as to the power exercised\nin begetting men to a new life. They are begotten through the gospel.\n\n4. \"Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we\nshould be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures\" (Jas. 1:18). This is\nas clear as the one above it. We are brought forth by the Word of truth.\n\n5. \"For this people's heart is waxed gross, And their ears are dull of\nhearing, And their eyes they have closed; Lest haply they should\nperceive with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with\ntheir heart, And should turn again, And I should heal them\" (Matt.\n13:15). To be healed, one must be converted; to be converted, one must\nunderstand with the heart; to understand with the heart, one must\nperceive and hear. But the people the Lord mentions were not healed.\nWhy? Because they were not converted. Why were they not converted?\nBecause they had not perceived with their eyes and heard with their\nears. Why had they not seen and heard! \"Their ears are dull of hearing,\nAnd their eyes they have closed; Lest at any time they should see with\ntheir eyes, And hear with their ears.\" Men talk of the Bible being a\nsealed book. They would better talk of sealed _eyes, ears_ and _hearts_,\nas does the Saviour.\n\n\n\n\nIX\n\nTHE SPIRIT AND CHRISTIANS\n\n\nIt has been aptly and truthfully said that \"no importance can be\nattached to a religion that is not begun, carried on and completed by\nthe Spirit of God.\" That the Christian is led, guided and strengthened\nby the Spirit can not be denied by any Bible reader. To deny the fact\nthat the Spirit dwells in us is to deny the Bible. But it is asserted\nwith equal clearness in the Divine Word that _God dwells in us_. \"And\nwhat agreement hath a temple of God with idols? for we are a temple of\nthe living God; even as God said, I will _dwell in them_, and walk in\nthem; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people\" (2 Cor.\n6:16). This not only says that God will dwell in us, but that he _walks\nin us_. It is also clearly taught that _Christ dwells in us_. \"That\nChrist may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye,\nbeing rooted and grounded in love\" (Eph. 3:17).\n\nNow, if God, Christ and the Spirit dwell in us, is there any teaching\nthat the Spirit dwells in us in a different sense from that in which the\nFather and the Son dwell in us? How, then, does the Father dwell in us?\nBy referring to Lev. 26:12, from which Paul quoted, we find that God\npromised to be in communion with Israel, but there is nothing in the\npassage to show his personal indwelling in any one person. How does\nChrist dwell in us? The passage above quoted says, \"Christ shall dwell\nin your hearts by faith;\" more correctly rendered, \"the faith\" or _the\ngospel_. How does the Spirit dwell in us? In Gal. 3:2, Paul asks the\nGalatians: \"Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the\n_hearing of the faith_?\"--or the gospel. The above Scriptures clearly\nteach that when the words, thoughts and Spirit of God are controlling in\nour lives, _God dwells in us_; that when the gospel controls us, _Christ\ndwells in us_; that when we receive the gospel by the hearing of faith,\n_the Spirit dwells in us_.\n\nNow, what reason has any man for declaring that the Spirit dwells in us\nin any other way, unless he can point to an explicit declaration of\nGod's word defining and explaining that other way? This can not be done,\nfor there is no such passage. \"But,\" says one, \"I do not have to depend\nupon the Word. I know it by my own consciousness.\" It is a principle as\nold as metaphysics that consciousness does not take cognizance of\ncauses, but of effects. You may be conscious of an effect within you,\nbut you can not be conscious of the cause that produced the effect.\nSuppose you are lying asleep on the ground; you are suddenly awakened by\na severe pain in your lower limb; consciousness tells you that you are\nsuffering pain, but it does not tell you what produced that pain. This\nmust be decided by _reason_ or _faith_. If you find a thorn in the grass\nwhere your limb was resting, _reason_ says the thorn _stuck you_; if you\nfind a bumblebee mashed in the grass, _reason_ will say the insect\n_stung you_; or, if some one near you says a boy with a pin in his hand\nran away from you, _faith_ will say the boy _stuck you_. But in either\ncase it was reason or faith that decided the cause of your pain. Now,\nwhen a man says, \"I am conscious of the presence of the Holy Spirit\nwithin me,\" he simply means, \"I am conscious of a _feeling_ within me\nwhich I _have been taught_ was caused by the Holy Spirit.\" If the man\nhas been taught wrong, he assigns a _wrong cause_ for the feeling. What\nis the feeling usually assigned for the presence of the Holy Spirit's\npersonal indwelling? It is a feeling of joy, peace and love. But can not\nsuch feeling be excited by other causes? We know there are dozens of\ncauses that will produce such feelings. In the absence of clear\ntestimony, what right has any one to attribute such feeling to the\npersonal presence of the Holy Spirit? A man is found murdered. The\ntestimony shows that any one of a dozen men could have killed him. Is\nthere an intelligent jury in the land that would convict any one of the\nmen of being the murderer? What would you think of a jury that would\nrender such a verdict?\n\n\"Well,\" says one, \"what of the great numbers who pray for a 'Pentecostal\nrevival'? Are they all wrong?\" Not wrong in what they _want_, but wrong\nin _what they call it_. All that those people desire, is to be filled\nwith a _genuine revival of religious enthusiasm_. Their mistake is in\ncalling it a \"Pentecostal shower.\" A Pentecostal shower would lead every\npreacher under its influence to say, with the apostle Peter, to\ninquiring sinners: \"_Repent, and be baptised every one of you in the\nname of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins_.\" This is what they are\ncareful _not to say_. It is a clear evidence that the Spirit which\nguided Peter is not guiding them. I assert it to be a fact that\neverything that is claimed to be effected by a personal indwelling of\nthe Spirit is as clearly accomplished by the Spirit acting through the\nword of God.\n\nI do not wish to rest content with asserting that statement, but I wish\nto prove it. What are the things that might be accomplished by a direct\npersonal indwelling of the Spirit in us?\n\n1. He might give us faith.\n\nBut through the Word he does that. \"So belief cometh of hearing, and\nhearing by the _word of Christ_\" (Rom. 10:17).\n\n2. He might enable us to enjoy a new birth.\n\nBut through the Word he does that. \"Having been begotten again, not of\ncorruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the _word of God_, which\nliveth and abideth\" (1 Pet. 1:23).\n\n3. He might give us light.\n\nBut through the Word he does that. \"The entrance of thy word giveth\nlight\" (Ps. 119:130).\n\n4. He might give us wisdom.\n\nBut through the Word he does that. \"But abide thou in the things which\nthou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast\nlearned them; and that from a babe thou hast known the _sacred writings_\nwhich are able to _make thee wise_ unto salvation through faith which is\nin Christ Jesus\" (2 Tim. 3:14, 15). \"The testimony of Jehovah is sure,\nmaking wise the simple\" (Ps. 19:7).\n\n5. He might convert us.\n\nBut he does that through the Word. \"The _law of Jehovah_ is perfect,\nconverting the soul\" (Ps. 19:7).\n\n6. He might open our eyes.\n\nBut he does that through the Word. \"The precepts of Jehovah are right,\nrejoicing the heart; _The commandment_ of Jehovah is pure, enlightening\nthe eyes\" (Ps. 19:8).\n\n7. He might give us understanding.\n\nBut he does that through the Word. \"Through _thy precepts_ I get\nunderstanding: Therefore I hate every false way\" (Ps. 119:104).\n\n8. He might quicken us.\n\nBut he does that through the Word. \"This is my comfort in my affliction;\nFor _thy word_ hath quickened me\" (Ps. 119: 50).\n\n9. He might save us.\n\nBut he does that through the Word. \"Wherefore putting away all\nfilthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with meekness the\n_implanted word_ which is able to save your souls\" (Jas. 1:21).\n\n10. He might sanctify us.\n\nBut he does this through the Word. \"Sanctify them in the truth: _thy\nword_ is truth\" (John 17:17).\n\n11. He might purify us.\n\nBut he does that through the Word. \"Seeing ye have purified your souls\nin your obedience to _the truth_ unto unfeigned love of the brethren,\nlove one another from the heart fervently\" (1 Pet. 1:22).\n\n12. He might cleanse us.\n\nBut he does that through the Word. \"Already ye are clean because of _the\nword_ which I have spoken unto you\" (John 15:3).\n\n13. He might make us free from sin.\n\nBut he does that through the Word. \"But thanks be to God, that whereas\nye were servants of sin, ye became obedient from the heart to that _form\nof teaching_ whereunto ye were delivered; and being made free from sin,\nye became servants of righteousness\" (Rom. 6:17, 18).\n\n14. He might impart a divine nature.\n\nBut he does that through the Word. \"Whereby he hath granted unto us his\nprecious and exceeding _great promises;_ that through these ye may\nbecome _partakers of the divine nature_, having escaped from the\ncorruption that is in the world by lust\" (2 Pet. 1:4).\n\n15. He might fit us for glory.\n\nBut he does that through the Word. \"And now I commend you to God, and to\n_the word_ of his grace, _which is able to build you up_, and to give\nyou the inheritance among all them that are sanctified\" (Acts 20:32).\n\n16. He might strengthen us.\n\nBut he does that by his Word. \"Strengthen me according to thy word\" (Ps.\n119:28).\n\nIn the above cases we have covered all the conceivable things a direct\nindwelling Spirit could do for one, and have also shown that all these\nthings the Spirit does through the word of God. It is not claimed that a\ndirect indwelling of the Spirit makes any new revelations, adds any new\nreasons or offers any new motives than are found in the word of God. Of\nwhat use, then, would a direct indwelling Spirit be? God makes nothing\nin vain. We are necessarily, therefore, led to the conclusion that, in\ndealing with his children to-day, God deals with them in the same\npsychological way that he deals with men in inducing them to become\nchildren. This conclusion is strengthened by the utter absence of any\ntest by which we could know the Spirit dwells in us, if such were the\ncase.\n\nWHAT THE SPIRIT DOES FOR CHRISTIANS.\n\n1. _He is active in our birth_. \"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say\nunto thee, Except one be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter\ninto the kingdom of God\" (John 3:5).\n\nHere is a distinct statement of a radical change, so radical as to be\nlikened to a new birth in order that we may enter the kingdom of God.\nWhat is it that is born? Christ says, \"A man.\" But what is a man? We\nregard a man as having a mind, a heart and a body. There is no perfect\nman where any of these elements is lacking. If, therefore, a man is\nborn again, he must be born in mind, in heart, in body. How is this\nbirth accomplished? Let us see what the Word says. \"But as many as\nreceived him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, even\nto them that believe on his name: who were born, not of blood, nor of\nthe will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, _but of God\"_ (John 1:12,\n13).\n\nGod gives all things--sometimes directly, sometimes through an agent.\nThe Holy Spirit is the agent. \"Born of water and the Spirit.\" But an\nagent often works through an instrument. What is the instrument? The\nword of God. \"Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to\nthe truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the\nheart fervently; having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed,\nbut of incorruptible, _through the word of God_, which liveth and\nabideth\" (1 Pet. 1:22, 23).\n\nHow can the word of God accomplish the new birth? By the only way that\nwords can accomplish any change--by being heard, understood, and\ninfluencing the life. The Holy Spirit puts himself into the words that\ncontain his motives, actions and promises. How can this be done! Just as\nman does it. Years ago the prophet Mohammed put his spirit into the\nwords, \"There is one God, and Mohammed is his prophet.\" When a man reads\nthese words and believes and acts upon them, the spirit of Mohammed\nenters into that man and dwells there as long as the man continues true\nto those words. The only way to take the spirit of Mohammed out of those\nwords is to transpose them so they will not say what he said.\n\nGeorge Washington put his spirit into the sentence, \"United we stand,\ndivided we fall.\" As long as the American people are true to the above\nwords, the spirit of George Washington will live in them. But make the\nsame words read, \"Divided we stand, united we fall,\" and the spirit of\nWashington is removed from them. The only way to take the Spirit of God\nfrom the word of God is to add to, take from or transpose the Word so\nit will not say what the Spirit _said in it_.\n\n\"Well,\" says one, \"if we are born of the Spirit operating through the\nWord, must we not understand all the Word in order that we may be born\nagain?\" No, the apostle limits the part of the Word we must understand\nin verse 25 of this same chapter: \"This is the word which by _the\ngospel_ is preached unto you.\" Let us now endeavor to learn how the\ngospel produces this change. How is the mind born again! In order to\nlearn this we must understand what is the normal condition of the mind\nof the unregenerate. In general we may say it is in a state of\n_unbelief_. Now, the proclamation of the great facts of the death,\nburial and resurrection of Christ according to the Scriptures will break\nup that condition of unbelief and produce a conviction of the truth of\nthe gospel. When the mind is changed from a state of unbelief to one of\nhearty belief the birth of the mind is complete. But the mind is only a\npart of man. The heart must be born again. What is the normal state of\nthe unregenerate heart? It is one of either _indifference_ or _hatred_.\nThe latter is the former fully ripened. It is said that Voltaire carried\na seal ring upon which were engraved the words, \"Crush the wretch,\" and\nevery time he sealed a letter he impressed his spirit of hatred upon\nthat letter. Now, the gospel sets forth the love of God in Christ and\nthe loveliness of Christ's sacrifice for us in such a manner as to\nchange the indifferent or malignant heart into one of supreme love to\nChrist. When the heart has thus been changed from hatred to love it is\nborn again. But man has also a body, and upon this spirit can not act.\nIf the body is to be born again, some element must be used that can act\nupon the body. Hence our Saviour says, \"born of water and the Spirit,\"\nbecause water can act upon the body. Now, the only use of water in the\nnew birth is in the act of baptism. All scholars of note in the\nreligious world agree that Christ's use of water in the new birth has\nreference to baptism. Paul also speaks of \"having our hearts sprinkled\nfrom an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.\" Thus,\nwith mind and heart changed by the Spirit through the gospel, and the\nbody solemnly consecrated to God in baptism, the entire man is born\nagain. This is all accomplished by the Spirit of God working _in and\nthrough the gospel_.\n\n2. Another work of the Spirit is to \"_bear witness with our spirits that\nwe are children of God, and if children, then heirs_\" (Rom. 8:16). It\ndoes not say, \"bear witness _to_ our spirits,\" but \"_with_ our spirits.\"\nMany people gauge the witness of the Spirit by feelings within\nthemselves. If they feel good, it is evidence to them of the Spirit's\ntestimony, but they frequently feel bad also; whose testimony is that?\nThe testimony of the Spirit should be clear testimony, and not\nfluctuating; it should be in words, and not in feelings. Feelings,\nimpressions and emotions come and go like the waves of the sea, but\nwords remain forever the same. \"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my\nword shall not pass away,\" saith the Lord. The idea of the conscious\ntestimony of the Spirit is not sustained by either the word of God nor\na correct psychology. It is the testimony of metaphysicians, from Sir\nWilliam Hamilton down to the writer, that consciousness does not take\ncognizance of causes, but effects. Feelings are effects and not causes.\nConsciousness tells us when we feel good or bad, but it does not tell us\nwhat makes us feel good or bad. When a man has been taught that a\ncertain feeling in the heart is produced by a certain agency, his faith\nand reason may decide that that agency produced the feeling, but\nconsciousness has nothing whatever to do with _the cause_ of the\nfeeling. Likewise, a certain feeling in the heart may be attributed to\nthe Spirit because one has been taught that the Spirit will produce such\na feeling, but consciousness can not trace that feeling to the Spirit\nhimself. A man should feel right because he knows he is right, and not\nknow he is right because he feels right.\n\nIn deciding whether we be children of God, we have two witnesses: first,\nthe Spirit himself, and, second, our spirit. The Spirit testifies as to\nwho is a child of God; our spirits testify as to what we are. If our\nspirits testify that we are the character which the Spirit says belongs\nto a child of God, then we have the testimony of the Spirit himself\nbearing witness with our spirits that we are children of God. The\ntestimony of the Spirit, in the nature of the case, must be general. He\ntestifies that whosoever believes in Christ, repents of his sins, and is\nbaptized into him, is a child of God. This is the whole of his\ntestimony. Your spirit, likewise, must bear witness to your position on\nall of these points.\n\nNo one but your own spirit can testify that you believe in Christ; you\nmay profess to, and the whole world may believe that you do, but your\nown spirit knows that you are a hypocrite in making the profession.\nLikewise, no one can testify but your own spirit that you have repented;\nyou may make professions of repentance, and the world may believe you\nthoroughly sincere, but your own spirit may tell you that your\nprofession is false. In a similar manner, no one but your own spirit can\ntestify that you have been baptized; your father and mother may say so,\nthe church record may so testify, and yet it is possible for them to be\nmistaken. To be certain you are a child of God you must have the\ntestimony of your own spirit that you believe, that you have repented\nand that you have been baptized. If, in the judgment day, God should ask\nsuch people, \"Have you obeyed me in the act of Christian baptism?\" they\nwould not have the testimony of their spirit that they had so obeyed;\nthey would have to fall back upon the church record or that of their\nfather and mother. Others may be satisfied with such testimony, but, as\nfor myself, if I did not have the testimony of my own spirit that I had\nobeyed the Lord in Christian baptism, I would obtain that testimony\nbefore the going down of the sun.\n\n\"Well,\" says one, \"is that all the witness of the Spirit mentioned by\nthe apostle?\" Yes, that is all; absolutely and unqualifiedly all. What\nmore can you desire? \"Well,\" says another, \"I want something more than\nthe mere word; I want to be saved like the thief on the cross.\" How do\nyou know that the thief on the cross was saved? \"Oh, the Bible says he\nwas.\" True, but that is the testimony of the \"mere word\"; so you have as\nmuch testimony to your own salvation as you have for the salvation of\nthe thief on the cross, and it would be impossible for you to have any\nmore. Suppose the Lord were to come down and take you up bodily and set\nyou down before his throne in heaven, and, in the presence of all the\nangels and archangels, say to you: \"My child, your sins are all\nforgiven.\" \"Now,\" says one, \"that would be testimony indeed.\" Yes, it\nwould be testimony, but no more testimony than you have in the word of\nGod now; you would then have only the testimony of the \"mere word\" of\nGod that you were forgiven. All such criticisms arise out of infidelity\nas to the truthfulness of God's word.\n\n3. _The Spirit maketh intercession for us_. This is not a work done in\nus nor upon us, but is something done for us before the throne of God.\nWe can not dogmatize as to _how_ the Spirit maketh intercession, but\nPaul says he does it \"_according to the will of God_.\" This is a fact\nthat appeals to _our faith_ and not to our Christian _experience_. It\n\"can not be uttered.\" We can rest upon it and draw comfort from it as a\nchild draws strength from its mother's breast. We can also draw comfort\nfrom the fact that Christ \"ever liveth to make intercession for us,\"\nthough we have no knowledge as to _how_ he does it.\n\n4. Another work of the Spirit is to \"_change us from glory to glory_.\"\n\"But we all, with unveiled face, reflecting as a mirror the glory of the\nLord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as\nfrom the Lord the Spirit\" (2 Cor. 3:18). The figure used here by the\napostle is taken from the process of mirror-making among the ancients.\nThey hadn't the glass mirrors of our day, but a mirror of highly\npolished metal. A piece of coarse metal would be placed upon a stone and\nthe workmen would begin to polish it; at first it made no reflection at\nall, but when polished for awhile would give a distorted and perverted\nreflection; but in the process of polishing, that reflection would grow\nclearer and clearer, when finally a man could behold his face in it\nperfectly reflected. And so with us. When taken into the great spiritual\nlaboratory of Christianity we are blocks in the rough, but in the\npolishing process of the church and spiritual surroundings we begin to\nreflect the image of our Master, and when we have completed the work, we\nreflect him as perfectly as a human being can. Take, for illustration,\nthe brothers Peter and John. At first they were called Boanerges, sons\nof thunder; they wanted to call down fire from heaven to destroy men who\ndiffered from them; but in the great laboratory of the Christian life\nthey grew more and more Christlike, transformed by the Spirit of God,\nuntil at last we see the old apostle John at Ephesus, beautified and\nennobled, sitting in his chair and lifting up trembling hands, and\nsaying to the young disciples: \"Little children, love one another, for\nlove is of God.\" We see the transforming power of the spiritual\natmosphere of the church and the Christian life upon human nature.\nChristian, with this illustration before you, how can you excuse\nyourself for keeping out of the spiritual atmosphere of God, for staying\naway from the communion and the spiritual convocation of God's people?\nIs it a burden and a duty to attend the house of God, or is it a\npleasure gladly and joyfully anticipated? When you rise on the Lord's\nDay morning, do you say, \"Must I go to church to-day?\" or do you say:\n\n    \"You may sing of the beauty of mountain and dale,\n    The water of streamlet and the flowers of the Vale,\n    But the place most delightful this earth can afford,\n    Is the place of devotion, the house of the Lord\"?\n\n5. The last work of the Spirit which the word of God mentions is the\n\"_quickening of our mortal bodies_.\" \"But if the Spirit of him that\nraised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ\nJesus from the dead shall quicken your mortal bodies through his Spirit\nthat dwelleth in you\" (Rom. 8:11). This Spirit which has ever been with\nus, watching over us, will never leave us until he raises our bodies\nfrom the dead and fashions our vile bodies like unto the glorious body\nof our Lord. It matters much where we now live; it matters little where\nand how we die. Our bodies may be buried in the unfathomed caves of\nocean; they may lie upon some mountain-peak or be placed in a crowded\ncemetery of some great city. No stone may mark our resting-place, no\nfriend may be able to find the spot and place a flower of love upon it;\nbut that abiding-place is known to the infinite Spirit of God, and from\nour ashes he will quicken our bodies and present us faultless before the\nthrone of God.\n\n    \"I know not where His isles may lift\n      Their fronded palms in air:\n     I only know I can not drift\n      Beyond His love and care.\"\n\nWe have not space in this chapter to notice other than the principal\npassages which refer to the work of the Spirit as it relates to\nChristians, but in the five above mentioned there is no hint that he\ndoes anything in us other than through the instrumentality of the\ngospel, and there are no other passages that teach a direct work upon\nus more clearly than those mentioned.\n\nThere are many passages that trace the blessed and glorious work of the\nSpirit in us and through us, but they all confirm the clear statement\nquoted from the _Sunday School Times_ that he works _mediately_, and not\n_immediately_.\n\n\n\n\nX\n\nTHE PARTING WORD\n\n\n_Blasphemy against the Spirit_. This is a subject that is intensely\ninteresting to many people. They imagine that in some way unknown to\nthemselves they _may_ have committed this act, and it causes them great\nconcern. I will say that such people need have no alarm. The man who has\nactually committed this sin _never_ feels any alarm about it. He is the\nlast man to feel concern over it. By reading the twelfth chapter of\nMatthew the reader can obtain a clear view of this sin. Jesus was being\nhounded by the Pharisees, who had determined to procure his death at all\nhazards. They were watching, exaggerating and criticizing everything he\ndid.\n\nHe went on a Sabbath day through the field of corn and his disciples\nplucked and ate some of the corn. There was an immediate outcry of \"The\nSabbath is violated.\" Again, Jesus healed the man with a withered hand\nand the Pharisees went out and held a council to plan his destruction.\nAgain, there was brought to him a man possessed of a devil, rendering\nhim blind and dumb. Jesus healed him by casting out the devil, so that\nhe \"both saw and heard.\" Casting out devils had always been regarded by\nthe Jews as a direct work of the Spirit of God. The people are amazed,\nand proclaimed him the Son of David, or the Messiah. The Pharisees could\nnot deny the fact, but they said: \"He does it by Beelzebub, the prince\nof devils.\"\n\nThese three incidents show a disposition on their part to deliberately\nreject all testimony contrary to their plan to compass his death. They\nhad rendered their verdict in advance and were not open to conviction,\nno matter _what_ testimony might be offered. Jesus tells them that if he\ncasts out devils by Beelzebub, then Satan is divided against himself.\n\"But if I by the Spirit of God cast out devils, then is the kingdom of\nGod come upon me\" (Matt. 12:28). \"_Therefore_ I say unto you, Every sin\nand blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the\nSpirit shall not be forgiven. And whosoever shall speak a word against\nthe Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever shall speak\nagainst the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this\nworld, nor in that which is to come\" (Matt. 12:31, 32). That these men\nhad committed, or were in great danger of committing, this blasphemy is\nevident from the caution uttered above.\n\nWhen a man to-day reaches the comprehensive state of mind that he is\ngoing to reject Jesus _over any and all evidence,_ he has gone into the\nhouse, shut and locked the door and thrown away the key. God can not\nreach him. Such a man will be let alone by the Spirit of God. That Paul\nunderstood this condition to be unpardonable, we read in Heb. 6:4-6:\n\"But as touching those who were once enlightened, and tasted of the\nheavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and tasted\nthe good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, and then fall\naway, it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they\n_crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh_, and put him to an open\nshame.\" Paul says it is impossible to renew such a one to repentance.\nWhy? \"_Seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh_.\" That\nis, they have reached the same state of mind the Pharisees had who\n_crucified him the first time_. Men can commit that same act to-day, but\nwhen they do it they lose all concern regarding the consequences. As\nlong as one has concern, he may rest assured that he has not blasphemed\nthe Holy Spirit.\n\n_The Fruits of the Spirit_. I have not treated this passage hitherto,\nbecause I do not understand the apostle to be referring to the Holy\nSpirit, but to man's spirit. In this fifth chapter of Galatians the\napostle divides man into two domains, one of the flesh and another of\nthe spirit. He says: \"The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the\nSpirit against the flesh: for these are contrary the one to the other:\nthat ye _may not do the things that ye would_\" (Gal. 5:17). It is\nimpossible to imagine \"the flesh\" preventing the Holy Spirit from doing\n\"the things he would.\" It is also impossible to conceive that the Holy\nSpirit is lusting against man's flesh. But we all recognize that there\nis a terrible conflict between man's flesh and _his spirit_. These are\ncontrary the one to the other and lust against each other. When man's\nflesh triumphs over his spirit, certain works are inevitable which Paul\nenumerates. When the Spirit (in man) dominates the flesh, then certain\n\"fruits of the Spirit\" appear. They are the fruits of man's spiritual\nnature triumphing over his fleshly nature. The same contrast is set\nforth in Galatians, chapter 6, where it speaks of sowing to the flesh\nand to the Spirit. How can any man sow to the Holy Spirit? Paul\ndescribes the same conflict in the seventh chapter of Romans. I think\nthat the spirit (of man) can be aided by the Holy Spirit in its battle\nagainst the flesh, but the \"fruits\" mentioned are of man's spirit and\nnot the Holy Spirit.\n\n_The Spirit of God at Work To-Day_. Says one, \"Is not the Spirit\nactively at work in the world to-day?\" Of course he is. It is not a\nquestion of _what_ he is doing but _how_ he is doing it. The religious\nworld is pretty generally agreed that the Spirit is pleading with the\nworld of the unsaved through the motives and inducements of the gospel,\nthe moral truth which appeals to the intellect and heart of the\nunconverted to turn to God and be saved; that all the saving power of\nGod is found in Christ and the gospel which reveals him; that God will\nnot go beyond the cross of Christ to save any man. It is Christ \"who was\nmade unto us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and\nredemption: that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him\nglory in the Lord.\" All that is necessary for wisdom, righteousness,\nsanctification and redemption--and that is all we need--is found in\nChrist. This being so, we need no other power but gospel power in our\nattempts to become children of God or to live as children of God. We get\ninto confusion when we try to obtain some other and more direct power.\nWe are led into a dependence upon our feelings, which are unreliable.\n\nBishop J.H. Vincent, than whom stands no higher in the Northern M.E.\nChurch, aptly states the whole matter thus: \"There are people who put\nstress on sentiment and emotion in religion. If they 'feel good,' they\nhave no doubt as to their present security and their acceptance with\nGod. These people covet moods and states of feeling. They revel in songs\nand prayers and hallelujahs. The thrill of sentiment and the warm\ncurrents of emotion are 'the all and in all' of religion. Such saints\nforget that mere mental exhilaration and good feeling may coexist with\ncarnal hearts, selfish aims, and utter worldliness of temper.\" His\nbrethren will scarcely accuse the Bishop of not believing in \"heartfelt\nreligion,\" and yet they used to strongly accuse us of denying it,\nbecause we plead for the testimony of the Book rather than the testimony\nof feelings.\n\nWe get into the same confusion when we attempt to fall back upon some\ninward power, independent of God's word, in living the Christian life.\nThe writer has known many good, honest people that claimed to have an\ninward monitor to lead them, who at the same time would reject the clear\nteaching of God's word. The Spirit of God never led any man to\ncontradict _the Word_ which he has so clearly revealed. The whole\nChristian life is a life of faith. _It begins, continues and ends in\nfaith._ \"God is no respecter of persons, but in every nation he that\n_fears God and works righteousness_ is accepted of him.\" \"The sword of\nthe Spirit\" is \"the word of God.\"","title":"The Spirit and the Word: A Treatise on the Holy Spirit in the Light of a Rational Interpretation of the Word of Truth","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":25177}